Crimson Red
by DawnBlazeAbigail99
Summary: Three moons since Dawnpaw learned of her power, she is still searching out the other two of her kin for StarClan. Her life is easygoing until one visit with Cloudwhisker he tells her that he can't see her again. Meanwhile, Redpaw is receiving odd dreams about the ancient original leader of ThunderClan. Sequel to Rising Dawn. Rated T for violence. Possible death.
1. Prologue

**Here's the beginning of Crimson Red, sequel to Rising Dawn. First of to any new readers, I suggest you read Rising Dawn first because otherwise you might be a little confused. I'm going to start off by saying that the time span between Rising Dawn and Crimson Red is about three moons, so some positions in the Clan have changed and will soon change as well. You'll see once you get to the Allegiances. Review please!**

**ThunderClan**

**Leader** Firestar-ginger tom with a flame-colored pelt

_Apprentice Redpaw_

**Deputy** Brambleclaw-dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Medicine Cat **Leafpool-light brown tabby she-cat

**Warriors**

Dustpelt-dark brown tabby tom

Sandstorm-pale ginger she-cat with green eyes

_Apprentice Honeypaw_

Cloudtail-long-haired white tom with blue eyes

_Apprentice Cinderpaw_

Brackenfur-golden brown tabby tom

_Apprentice Birdpaw_

Sorreltail-tortoiseshell and white she-cat with amber eyes

_Apprentice Dawnpaw_

Squirrelflight-dark ginger she-cat with green eyes

Ashfur-pale gray tom with darker flecks and blue eyes

_Apprentice Poppypaw_

Spiderleg-long-limbed black tom with a brown underbelly

Brook Where Small Fish Swim (Brook)-brown tabby she-cat

Stormfur-gray tom with amber eyes

_Apprentice Bravepaw_

Whitewing-white she-cat with green eyes

_Apprentice Robinpaw_

Berrytail-cream-colored tom

Hazelsplash-small gray and white she-cat

Mouseclaw-gray and white tom

**Apprentices**

Honeypaw-light brown tabby she-cat

Cinderpaw -gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Dawnpaw-golden tabby she-cat with green eyes

Redpaw-dark ginger tom with amber eyes

Birdpaw-tortoiseshell she-cat with a white underbelly, chest, and muzzle (amber eyes)

Bravepaw-brown tabby tom with green eyes

Robinpaw-light brown she-cat with blue eyes

**Queens**

Ferncloud-pale gray she-cat with darker flecks and blue eyes;

Brightheart-ginger and white she-cat; mother of Cloudtail's kits (Cloverkit-white she-cat with ginger paws and green eyes, Tansykit-pale ginger she-cat with white paws and very light blue eyes, and Hailkit-long-haired pure white tom with dark green eyes)

Daisy-long-furred cream she-cat

**Elders**

Mousefur-dusky brown she-cat

Longtail-pale tabby tom with black stripes

The forest was dark. Above the canopy of overflowing leaves there was a starless sky. There were no clouds obscuring the view here. There was no moon light the forest floor just enough to see a few mouselengths ahead of you. Here, cats were sentenced to a forever residence for their crimes.

A dark tabby pelt slid into the small, shadowy clearing. Despite the darkness surrounding him, his amber eyes glowed brightly, a dangerous gleam shining in his gaze. Padding forward, he showed his massive paws and strength in the rippling of his lean muscles.

"Tigerstar," a pitch black she-cat meowed with a measured voice. She sat in the center of the clearing, clearly waiting for him with her tail wrapped over her paws. "How did the meeting go?"

"It didn't," Tigerstar snarled, lashing his tail angrily. "Cloudwhisker stopped me from entering her dreams once again. I still don't know how he does it."

"You never told me that he's done this before," the she-cat commented with a slight edge to her voice.

"I didn't think anything of it before now," Tigerstar replied, growling as he paced in front of her.

"Try again tomorrow, then," the she-cat told him eagerly.

"Don't you get it?" Tigerstar spat. "Ebonyflight, she's untouchable now."

"That's impossible," Ebonyflight scoffed. "You just aren't trying hard enough to summon her."

"Don't undermine me," Tigerstar growled warningly.

"I will do whatever I want, Tigerstar," Ebonyflight hissed viciously, her eyes flashing. "You cannot stop me even if you wanted to. I've more power than you'll ever have."

Tigerstar hissed defiantly, his neck fur fluffed up. "And now we have lost one of the three prophesized either to destroy or aid us."

"There are six others that possibly have that power," Ebonyflight pointed out. "It won't be long until the other two begin to show their abilities."

"What about Cloudtail's first kit?" Tigerstar asked.

"She's already a warrior. If she had had any powers, she would have showed them by now," Ebonyflight dismissed the idea immediately. We only have two more chances to get one of the three on our side."

"We won't have to wait long," Tigerstar added. "I know that we're close."

"Don't fail me once again Tigerstar," Ebonyflight meowed warningly. She turned her head toward him, revealing her narrowed eyes. "If it had been any cat other than you, they would cease to exist by now."

Tigerstar dipped his head to her. "Of course Ebonyflight. I'll see you again once I have news."

"Have it soon," Ebonyflight advised as Tigerstar turned away. Her green gaze watching as he padded into the undergrowth, leaving her standing in silence.

In a separate clearing not far away from where Ebonyflight stood, two cats sat beside one another, the fur on their flanks touching. The gray and white tom leaned down to whisper something to his companion. The golden tabby she-cat responded by pressing her muzzle against his, prompting a purr from his chest.

Up the slope beyond the edge of the clearing, a pair of eyes watched the pair interact. A glimmer of sadness and regret entered her dark blue gaze.

"Mistymoon, why are you spying on them?" The she-cat turned to see the white she-cat with silver paws standing just a few tail-lengths away from her.

"I'm sorry, Runningbreeze," Mistymoon meowed softly. "I couldn't help but watch them. He's going to break Dawnpaw's heart."

Runningbreeze nodded in silent agreement. "He's foolish for leading her on like this. He is her first love."

"Poor Dawnpaw," Mistymoon sighed. "But she won't accept his reasons for leaving her, that much I know."

"She may look like Sundapple in that respect, but she is different in spirit," Runningbreeze meowed, her eyes gleaming as she remembered the young she-cat she used to know. "Sundapple may not have liked it, but she would have respected his decision to leave."

"It must be done, after all," Mistymoon sighed. "It has been hard for Cloudwhisker, though. He's finally being able to follow in Sundapple's pawsteps."

"They'll be reunited soon," Runningbreeze sighed. "And we won't be able to see him again for such a long time."

"Are you two gossiping again?" A golden and white she-cat revealed herself, stepping out from the ferns. She padded over to the two other she-cats, spotting the couple not too far away from them. "I was just with Frostblaze."

Mistymoon wrinkled her nose in disgust as if she had smelled something bad and Runningbreeze's ears fell flat against her head. "Why would you be with that horrible she-cat, Goldenlily?"

Goldenlily shrugged. "I just managed to come across her."

"I take it that she knows that Cloudwhisker is leaving?" Runningbreeze sniffed indignantly.

"Of course, and she made her opposition to the idea very clear," Goldenlily continued, her tone scathing. "She tried to pin it all on Dawnpaw, that jealous mousebrain."

"I still can't believe Duskstar allowed her to join StarClan. Now we all have to deal with her complaints and whiny attitude!" Mistymoon hissed. "She very nearly killed Sundapple multiple times, too!"

"You would think that Frostblaze would understand that one of the main reasons Cloudwhisker is leaving is so that he doesn't have to be around her any longer," Runningbreeze scoffed, rolling her eyes.

The three fell silent for a moment, smoldering in their own fury toward the pompous StarClan she-cat, when Cloudwhisker's and Dawnpaw's conversation floated closer to them.

"I have to get back before I oversleep again," Dawnpaw told Cloudwhisker, rubbing her muzzle against his neck. The rumbling of her purr was so loud that it reached the hidden she-cats' ears.

"She's so happy," Goldenlily sighed sadly.

"Just wait 'till she finds out," Mistymoon whispered. "She'll be furious with him."

"Goodbye, Dawnpaw," Cloudwhisker murmured to his golden tabby companion. His dark blue eyes were soft as he gazed down at her. He licked her ear and touched his nose briefly against her before she disappeared into the undergrowth, leaving him to stare after her.

Runningbreeze turned away from the clearing. "He's running out of time to tell her," she fretted. "The longer he keeps the truth from her, the angrier she will be."

Goldenlily nodded in agreement. "As much as I don't want to see Dawnpaw get hurt, I agree that Cloudwhisker needs to tell her soon."

"At least she's lucky enough to have been with him for this amount of time," Mistymoon pointed out. "Bluestar was gracious enough to allow him to stay longer in StarClan. He could have been gone moons ago."

"Well, Cloudwhisker just needs to tell her soon," Runningbreeze meowed stubbornly. "Or we'll tell her ourselves."

"Tell who what?"

The three she-cats jumped in fright and they all whirled around to see that Cloudwhisker had dropped in on the conversation. He observed them warily, his eyes still shining from his meeting with Dawnpaw.

"Tell Dawnpaw that you're leaving StarClan," Mistymoon meowed casually with a neutral tone. She even threw in a lick to her forepaw for effect, drawing it over her ears. She put on an innocent expression.

Suddenly, Cloudwhisker's eyes flared with anger, becoming two identical, flickering flames. "Don't you dare tell her," he growled. "Any of you!"

"You have to tell her sometime," Goldenlily insisted, her voice soothing, trying to douse his fiery temper. "You can't just tiptoe and delay the subject until it comes time when you have to leave her. She'll never forgive you for not telling her the truth."

Cloudwhisker sighed resignedly. He sat back, smoothing down his ruffled fur. He closed his eyes. "You're right, I know. I'll tell her soon, I promise. I just…don't want to upset her."

Runningbreeze started forward, resting a tail across his shoulders. "We know that, Cloudwhisker. I will be hard for her to cope with you leaving, but you've no choice but to tell her."

Cloudwhisker nodded and he opened his eyes again, calm once again. "I will," he vowed. He dipped his head to each of the she-cats in turn before he left them, padding into the forest.

"They're adorable together," Mistymoon purred after he had disappeared. Her blue eyes were alight with amusement. "So much better than if Cloudwhisker ever chose Frostblaze over her."

Goldenlily narrowed her eyes. "Speaking of Frostblaze, she'd better watch her tail. If she tries anything, I'll have her in the Dark Forest before she can say 'mouse'."

**So how's that? I know I promised that I would have this up faster, but last week was a whirlwind of just about everything so I never had time to edit and update. But now, here it is! Notice that the Allegiances don't mention Snowkit. I had no way of listing him since he has no official mother in the nursery. But he's there, and he'll be important too.**

**Read and Review! :)**


	2. Chapter 1

**Sorry for chapter 1 taking so long! My teachers decided to bomb me with study guides and projects and the like right before the exams and I've been so stressed! I've finished that up, and hopefully I've done well on my exams, but I guess we'll see. The only one I'm really nervous about is History, considering that it isn't one of my strong suits.**

**Anyways, I hope this chapter is satisfactory. Read and Review!**

**Redpaw's POV**

_Flashes of green and gold…A rushing river swiftly carving through the forest…Four great oak trees…Many familiar, yet unfamiliar faces…One stood out. A she-cat with a blue-silver pelt and sharp black lines winding from her tail-tip to her cheeks. Her blue eyes shimmered with youthfulness and mischief…_

Redpaw jerked awake with the last image of the pretty she-cat fresh in his mind. He'd never seen her before now, but the memory of her brought a rush of warmth to his stiff muscles and damp fur. Sighing, he sat up in his wet nest to lick his pelt. He had fallen asleep to the rain pattering on the roof of the apprentices' den, and _of course _there was a gap in the wall just at an angle from where he slept.

Satisfied for now that his pelt was drier, Redpaw looked around. A few of his denmates had already left, but many still dozed in their nests. Closest to him, his sister, Dawnpaw, twitched slightly in her sleep and he rolled his eyes. She was always squirming while she slept and sometimes even murmured under her breath.

Of course, he was in no position to judge her. After all, he had some pretty wild dreams of his own. That, and the fact that her temper could rival their own mother's. He'd, of course, learned that the hard way. Even just a few sunrises ago she had nearly skinned Mouseclaw alive after he suggested she fix her hunting stance. "Mousebrain," Redpaw grumbled with an adjoined exasperated sigh. He knew that Mouseclaw had been mooning over his sister for a couple of moons now and embarrassing Dawnpaw was _not_ the way to win her affections.

Redpaw picked his way to the den exit and he pushed into the morning light. After the night's rainfall, there was hardly a cloud in the sky and the temperature was mild, though a slight hint of heavy, humid air remained.

It was still early and Redpaw was one of the few cats who rose before the sun peaked over the tree line. He immediately started for the fresh-kill pile, where the pickings had become meager as the days grew colder and colder. Leaf-fall had been mild so far, but he'd heard Mousefur talking to the kits the other day about the blizzards in the old forest where the Clans had come from. Plus, leaf-bare was almost there, and the bitter cold was sure to follow.

Redpaw sighed and he chose a small sparrow at the top of the pile. It would do for now until he went hunting with Firestar today. Settling down a little ways away from the pile, he tore into the bird, downing it in just a few swallows.

Cleaning his paws and whiskers to lap up the last of the juices, he heard approaching pawsteps and Sandstorm's washed over him. Finishing up, he looked up at her expectantly.

The pale ginger she-cat looked weary and Redpaw was taken aback in surprise. He'd never seen her look so disheveled. "Sandstorm?" he meowed warily. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

She twitched her tail with impatience. "I'm fine," she told him. Her gaze darkened. "But Firestar won't be able to take you out today for training."

Redpaw pricked his ears. "What's happened?" he asked, concerned for his leader and mentor.

Sandstorm sighed, her tail drooping slightly. "He started coughing yesterday and Leafpool wants to keep an eye on him until it goes away. She doesn't think he should leave his den in case it spreads or becomes worse."

Redpaw's ear twitched. "Am I going to be assigned a replacement mentor until he gets better?"

"Kind of," Sandstorm meowed, wrapping her tail over her paws. "You be joining Cinderpaw as she trains under Cloudtail. He is capable enough with teaching the both of you together."

Redpaw nodded in approval of his placement. He was glad that at least he wasn't stuck with Robinpaw. She could talk any cat's ear off with just a few heartbeats with her! It didn't help that her voice was so high-pitched because of her smaller size. He sincerely hoped that she would mellow as her training progressed.

Then he felt a small pit of worry squirm in his belly. "Is Firestar going to be okay?"

Sandstorm grimaced. There was a flash of something in her eyes that Redpaw almost missed. _Fear?_ "Leafpool isn't exactly sure. He isn't in any immediate danger at the moment, but she knows just how fast these things can develop into something more."

Redpaw didn't know how to respond to that. It was obvious that the she-cat was stressed and tired, but he didn't know how to comfort her. Should he tell her that it was going to be alright? How could he when he had no idea himself? Redpaw groaned silently. He was horrible at saying the right thing to she-cats.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Sandstorm wandered away. Redpaw plopped back onto the ground with a sigh. Of course, being the leader's apprentice was never easy. Lots of times, other mentors had to take him because Firestar was busy with patrols or counseling with Brambleclaw. Still, Firestar was his mentor and the times that he had been with Redpaw were worth every time he had had to wait.

Across the camp, the entrance to the nursery quivered violently as Brightheart burst into the clearing. She darted across the clearing and disappeared into Leafpool's den, Tansykit hanging limply from her mouth. The pale ginger and white she-kit was about four moons old and was a considerable size so Brightheart stumbled nearly twice as she hustled to the medicine cat's den.

Redpaw pricked his ears, getting to his paws. Whatever was wrong with Tansykit must have been bad if Brightheart had had to carry her.

There was movement in the corner of his vision and fur brushed lightly against his. He turned his head to see Dawnpaw staring worriedly at the entrance to Leafpool's den. "I wonder what's wrong with Tansykit."

Redpaw shrugged, but he was also curious.

After a few heartbeats, Dawnpaw turned her head to face him. "I heard about Firestar. It looks like you'll be joining my hunting party! Cloudtail and Cinderpaw are going with Sorreltail and me."

"When are we leaving?" Redpaw asked, glad that he had had a chance to eat breakfast first.

"I'm not sure," Dawnpaw shrugged. "Sorreltail went to go wake Cloudtail and Cinderpaw. I guess whenever those two decide to grace us with their presences."

Just then, Sorreltail's yowl sounded from across the camp. Redpaw looked past Dawnpaw to see the tortoiseshell sitting with Cloudtail and a groggy Cinderpaw near the camp entrance. He gave Dawnpaw a sly glance as the remark leaped from his tongue, "I guess we'll have to settle with us gracing them with our presences."

Dawnpaw snorted, twitching her tail as they padded over to meet with the other three cats who were all waiting for them, itching to get going. Sorreltail nodded to them and she plunged into the bramble tunnel, leaving the others to race after her.

Once under the familiar thinning tree branches, the patrol slowed to a walk with the apprentices taking up the rear while Sorreltail and Cloudtail plowed on ahead, speaking in hushed tones so the apprentices couldn't overhear them.

Casting a glance at Dawnpaw, he could see her giving them suspicious looks. She had noticed them too. Meanwhile, Cinderpaw was perfectly content with tasting the air in search of prey, her blue eyes flicking from one crevice to another.

Redpaw brushed off their mentors' conversation. They were probably just talking about Firestar and his illness, anyway. Over the moons that he'd been apprenticed to Firestar, Redpaw had grown accustomed to ignoring the gossip around the ThunderClan leader and all of the times he'd been assigned to another mentor because Firestar was busy with something. But now, Redpaw wanted to know more about his mentor's sickness and to know that it wasn't very serious.

Not that being Cloudtail's dual apprentice was anything he resented, of course. Cloudtail had been mentored by Firestar, after all. Cinderpaw was okay, even though Redpaw didn't know her that well. He did know that Dawnpaw was friends with her and her sister, Honeypaw. The only thing that had rubbed Redpaw the wrong way was when Cinderpaw had objected to going out and finding Snowkit and the other kits when they had left the camp in search of adventure. It had been Dawnpaw and their band of apprentices to bring them home!

Sighing, Redpaw shrugged off his musings and set his mind to hunting mode. As they trekked on toward the ShadowClan border, the thinning trees became mixed with thin pines. No chance of catching a juicy rabbit here. However, squirrels and mice seemed to like creating dens here. Unfortunately, so did foxes.

Redpaw shivered as he pictured the sight of his sister unconscious after a young fox had attacked the camp while the patrols had been sent out and just a few cats had been left to defend the nursery and kits. Dawnpaw had been one of them. Seeing Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight hunched over her, he'd at first assumed that she was dead, but then Leafpool had rushed up with herbs.

Dawnpaw, of course, had lived to tell her tale, which proved her to be no less than a hero, along with the queens and others who had been with her. Redpaw shouldn't have been surprised when he'd heard from Bravepaw what she had done to defend the kits. Even if there were other cats to stand in for her and take the beating she had, she'd still do all she could to save those kits. Redpaw had seen her with them before and her attachment to them, and their attachment to her.

When Robinpaw had become an apprentice, she'd always go to Dawnpaw for help in hunting crouches and fighting techniques she hadn't quite gotten. Snowkit and Brightheart's kits still played with her from time to time, and when Snowkit became an apprentice, Redpaw expected Dawnpaw or Robinpaw to pass on the advice to him.

"Squirrel!" Cinderpaw hissed, shaking him back to focus. His limbs froze as Cinderpaw dropped into a crouch. Redpaw followed her narrowed gaze and spotted the gray creature hunting around the base of a handful of trees in search of food.

Redpaw opened his mouth and tested the air. They were downwind and the squirrel's scent drifted over him, causing his mouth to water, despite the breakfast he'd had. However, he allowed Cinderpaw to claim the prey for herself, seeing as she had spotted it first. He did, however, press his belly to the ground in case the squirrel happened to look up and see them behind Cinderpaw. Beside him, Dawnpaw did the same.

Glancing at the mentors, he noticed that they had stopped as well, but were hidden by a wall of thorns. Only Cloudtail's bright white pelt that stood out in the gaps between the thorny tendrils gave him a clue of where they were.

Dawnpaw turned her head to follow his gaze and she kinked her head to the side. Redpaw looked back at her and met her bewildered gaze.

"What are they doing hiding there?" she hissed quietly, barely loud enough to reach Redpaw's ears.

"What do you mean?" Redpaw twitched his ear in confusion. What was wrong with them staying right where they were? They were just preventing the prey from seeing them, for StarClan's sake!

Dawnpaw just stared at him for a few heartbeats before she just looked away, shaking her head and leading Redpaw to believe that he had just been left out of something important.

A little disappointed that Dawnpaw hadn't told him what she had meant by her question, Redpaw turned his gaze back to the hunt. He was just in time to see Cinderpaw leap across some distance and kill the squirrel with a single bite to its neck. She sat up with the body at her paws and turned to them with her eyes shining.

"That was great, Cinderpaw!" Dawnpaw gushed, but Redpaw knew that she had seen as little of the hunt as he had if not less. Nevertheless, she praised her friend, who basked in the approval of her kill.

Redpaw tried to pour at least some truthfulness into his recognition of her. "That was a great leap at the end. Good catch."

"Thanks!" Cinderpaw meowed excitedly. Her ears perked up as Cloudtail and Sorreltail came out from behind the brambles, immediately going to show Cloudtail the squirrel, who nodded approvingly.

Redpaw glanced at Dawnpaw and sure enough he found her watching Sorreltail and Cloudtail closely, as if trying to pry answers from their heads with just a look. _What is wrong with her?_

**And…I just realized that Poppypaw's description is missing from the Allegiances. She has a mentor apparently but isn't listed under the Apprentices section. Sorry for that. Just pretend I didn't mess up. ;)**

**So, I have a few questions I'd like answered from you guys:**

**What do you think of the whole 'Mouseclaw has a crush' thing? **

**Who do you think Redpaw's mystery she-cat is?**

**How well did I portray Redpaw?**

**What's better? The long chapters or short chapters? Updates will be faster with short chapters.**

**Well, that's all folks!**


	3. Chapter 2

**I edited Chapter 1. I added the hunting scene after where it ended. It bothered me that it was so short!**

**Read and Review! So far I'm pleased with the reception for this story, but reviews make my day. :)**

**Dawnpaw's POV**

Dawnpaw peered through the rough tendrils at the small brown creature sitting in the pool of moonlight. Opening her jaws, she tasted the familiar, comforting air. Seeing that her prey was distracted by the musings of its own food, she rounded the bramble bush with slow, light steps.

Her eyes swept over the ground in front of her, but found no twig or leaf in her path. Once her gaze had returned to the mouse, she shifted forward, careful not to let her shadow extend further than her own paws. She crouched close to the ground, but not close enough to feel the brush of earth against her belly. Her tail was stretched out behind her, avoiding contact with anything that could alert her prey to her presence.

The mouse had its back facing her, but she had to be careful. Even in this forest, there was still a breeze and every once in a while, that breeze shifted direction. She'd hunted in this forest many times before now in the past moons to experience enough hunting failures.

She continued cautiously for several moments until she was about a foxlength and a few extra tail-lengths away from the mouse. Her muscles tensed as she gathered her haunches for just a heartbeat before she sprang onto the mouse. Dawnpaw brought her teeth to its neck and immediately felt the warm flesh make her mouth water.

"All that time spent on that meager mouthful," a scathing voice drifted to Dawnpaw's ears and her head whipped around. She met Frostblaze's cold blue stare.

Dawnpaw was surprised that the tortoiseshell she-cat had searched her out. She hadn't seen Frostblaze for a while now, seeing as Cloudwhisker had always made sure that she kept her distance from Dawnpaw. She dropped the mouse at her paws.

"Does Cloudwhisker know you're talking to me?"

Frostblaze's lips curled viciously. "Cloudwhisker will get over it, I guess," she growled uncaringly. "He can't keep you sheltered forever."

"He won't be happy," Dawnpaw told her calmly. The first time she had met Frostblaze, she had been unnerved by those icy dark blue eyes, but now she stared back with equal opposition.

Suddenly, there was a shift in Frostblaze's demeanor. The dislike faded from her gaze and was replaced by an understanding of some recent realization. "So," she spoke, her tone suggesting she was excited. Dawnpaw instinctively leaned away at this unusual change in her. "Cloudwhisker hasn't told you yet."

Dawnpaw narrowed her eyes at Frostblaze in suspicion, but her ears pricked with interest. "Hasn't told me what?"

Frostblaze flicked her tail gleefully. Her eyes were now alight at her new revelation. "While you two get cozy in the fern bushes, be sure to ask him himself."

And with that, Frostblaze turned on her tail and she made a hasty retreat into the undergrowth, leaving Dawnpaw basking in complete confusion. _What did she mean? What hasn't Cloudwhisker told me?_

Merely just moments after Frostblaze had gone, the bushes behind Dawnpaw rustled and she turned her head to see Cloudwhisker emerge. He seemed to be in a good mood and his eyes were filled with a familiar warmth as he padded to her.

However, tonight, the affection was hardly any comfort to Frostblaze's haunting words. They plagued Dawnpaw's every thought, despite her attempts to focus her mind and heart on Cloudwhisker himself.

Cloudwhisker stretched his neck forward as he neared and he brushed his cheek against her own affectionately. Dawnpaw sighed and she dipped her head down to rub her forehead against his chin. He purred, but Dawnpaw was too distracted to do so.

_What are you hiding from me?_

_What aren't you telling me?_

Finally, Cloudwhisker realized that something was wrong. He pulled away and looked down at her in confusion. Dawnpaw's heart waned just a little as she saw the hurt shining behind the wall of bewilderment. "Dawnpaw, what's wrong?"

Dawnpaw nearly winced at the words. He sounded as if she had offended him. She almost decided not to tell him of her inner turmoil, but finally decided against it. Now was better than never. Hesitantly, she began. "I saw Frostblaze."

Cloudwhisker recoiled and a red-hot anger burned in his eyes. "What?" he hissed furiously. "I told her to stay away from you!"

"She wasn't here for long!" Dawnpaw meowed, trying to calm him some.

Then he cursed. He pushed his face close to hers. "Did she tell you anything?"

Dawnpaw stiffly nodded, too terrified to say anything at the moment. Her mind flew back to moons ago when Cloudwhisker had been just this angry and had given her a permanent reminder, a scar etched forever into her cheek. As more anger filled his heated gaze, she couldn't help but flinch away from him.

Just as quickly as his outrage had come, his temper cooled. The fury in his eyes instantly changed to guilt as he saw the fear in Dawnpaw's wide eyes. "Oh no, Dawnpaw," he breathed and licked her cheek. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so angry. It's just I…I just had something—"

"Frostblaze said you were hiding something from me," Dawnpaw told him, looking up at him with a bold stare. She dared him to tell her.

For a heartbeat, pain crossed his expression and then there was a hint of something else that Dawnpaw had trouble understanding. Fear? What did he have to be afraid of telling her? His hesitance sparked her anxiety. She wanted to know what Cloudwhisker was hiding, but she wasn't sure what the consequences of it would be, and Cloudwhisker looked just as nervous.

Cloudwhisker took deep, ragged breath. He exhaled shakily and Dawnpaw tensed for whatever he had to say. She wanted to be prepared for the worst, and she was dearly hoping that it wasn't that bad.

"I'm leaving."

.

.

.

Dawnpaw stared at him. _That_ had certainly been unexpected. As she slowly digested the new information, her breath left her lungs. It felt as if she couldn't breathe as the dread settled over her. Her eyes stung and then she took her first, haggard breath. A thousand claws pierced her chest, tearing her heart apart. It flung her around and her legs suddenly felt weak.

Seeing her nearly collapse on the spot, Cloudwhisker shifted to her side, offering a shoulder for her to lean on, for which she gratefully accepted. She couldn't say anything yet, her breaths still so ragged.

Silence enveloped the couple until Dawnpaw finally was able to speak. She tipped her head back to look up at his face, meeting his worried gaze. "You're leaving? As in leaving StarClan?"

Cloudwhisker broke off his gaze and looked away. "Yes."

"How is that even possible?" Dawnpaw asked. "Where will you go?"

"I-I can't tell you." His voice was rough and he cleared his throat.

"What?" Dawnpaw exclaimed, angry at his unwillingness to share any details of where he was going. "Don't you think that I deserve to know?"

Cloudwhisker gazed pleadingly at her, willing her to understand. "Dawnpaw, I swore not to tell you! I gave my word."

Dawnpaw glared at him, her next question ready on her tongue. "And Frostblaze knows where you're going?"

Another pleading look confirmed what she should have already known. Cloudwhisker had told Frostblaze first before her. Dawnpaw had _thought_ that Cloudwhisker cared for her, possibly more than that, but now she knew that everything she had believed about her relationship with him was crumbling before her very eyes.

"Frostblaze lives in StarClan. That's the only reason why she knows. You live in ThunderClan, with the living. What happens in StarClan does not concern you."

What Cloudwhisker may have meant to be as comforting fueled Dawnpaw's anger even further. "Fine. I'll just leave, seeing as I shouldn't be interfering with _StarClan_," she snarled in retaliation.

"Dawnpaw," Cloudwhisker begged, the expression on his face broke Dawnpaw's heart. He looked so lost and dejected. "If I could tell you, I would. Please try to understand."

Despite her aching chest, she steeled her resolve. She felt betrayed and bitter, and she shouldn't be afraid to show it. Blinking her eyes tightly shut, Dawnpaw swallowed a sob. She opened her eyes again. "When do you leave?"

"A half-moon. Right before the next Gathering." Another blow to her heart. Dawnpaw wasn't sure how many more she would be able to take before she crumpled in defeat.

Sighing, she geared for her next words as she gazed sadly up at him. "You never took into account how I would feel about this, would you? How heartbroken and devastated I would be. This isn't fair to me."

Cloudwhisker stared at his paws and remained silent. Dawnpaw forced another sob down. _Maybe he doesn't care after all._ "I don't want to fight, Cloudwhisker, but I…I just can't see you right now. Don't bother trying to get into my dreams and I won't bother you as you prepare for wherever you're going. Goodbye, Cloudwhisker. Wherever you go, I hope you're happy with the choice you made."

With that, Dawnpaw turned and darted into the trees. A sob was finally ripped from her throat and her vision blurred as her emotions came over her. Their argument came crashing back to her and she nearly stumbled before she caught herself. When she thought she was far enough away from Cloudwhisker, she collapsed at the roots of a willow tree and she huddled there, allowing the hurt and pain to wash over her like a rush of cold water.

**Redpaw's POV**

"_Copperkit, leave your brother alone!"_

_Foxkit looked up hopefully from his position under his sister's paw as their mother padded toward them. A stern look crossed her face and she plucked Copperkit off of Foxkit, her pale ginger tabby paws churning in empty air before Honeylight plopped her on the ground. Foxkit immediately jumped to his paws and shook out his ragged, dark ginger fur. _

_Honeylight leaned down and lapped at his pelt, smoothing the sandy clumps down and returning it to a much cleaner state. Foxkit glanced at Copperkit and grimaced at the glare his sister sent his way. For as long as he could remember, she'd always pick a fight with either him or one of their denmates and it never turned out well for her, though she liked to blame her misfortune on her unsuspecting victim._

"_Copperkit, go to the nursery, and please do not bother Lilypetal and her newborn kits," Honeylight meowed, her amber eyes hardening as she turned them on the seething she-kit._

_With a curl of her lip, Copperkit whipped around and stalked toward the nursery, her chin and tail held high in defiance._

_Honeylight shook her head in disappointment as she watched her daughter retreat. Then she looked down at Foxkit again. "I don't know why she's always acting like this," she sighed. She blinked and her gaze brightened as she nudged Foxkit in the direction of the elders' den. "Ashsky and Twigpelt were looking for you earlier."_

_Foxkit's mood lightened. The two elders were the best storytellers in the Clan! Even better than the queens, who always added a bit of gossip to their stories. With an excited yelp, he bolted off across the clearing._

"_Watch out for the warriors!"_

Redpaw shook his dream out of his mind. He'd been confused when he was lulled from sleep at the usual time. Who were the characters from his dream? He hadn't been a kit for moons! However, Foxkit's appearance had been remarkably close to his own. _Maybe it's just some weird reflection of my life._

But none of his sisters were vicious and furious like Copperkit had been. Sure, Dawnpaw had been known to snap at times but neither she nor Birdpaw had been _that_ hostile.

Sighing, Redpaw looked across the clearing just in time to see Leafpool racing from her den to the elders' den with a bundle of herbs in her jaws and Longtail right behind her. They disappeared into the den together and Redpaw narrowed his eyes in wonder. Was Mousefur sick?

"Firestar's greencough has spread." Redpaw nearly jumped in surprise as Cinderpaw murmured in his ear. He hadn't heard her approach. Glancing at her, he was surprised to see a deep sadness in her blue eyes. He didn't know that she was close with the elders.

"Mousefur is sick?"

Cinderpaw nodded gravely. "Yes."

Redpaw felt a pit of worry worm its way into his belly. Despite the medicine cat's best efforts to isolate Firestar, the sickness had spread across the camp. As the cold weather set in, even the strongest of warriors could fall ill. As of now, none of them were safe.

**Oh, dramatic. I love writing drama. I had an earlier format for this, but I decided to change it because it was a little short. So how do you guys feel after reading this? I just had to make it longer. I'm so used to it! Anyway, if you read Rising Dawn then I'm sure you know what's going to be happening from now on with Redpaw, but if you don't, then you'll find out I guess. I can almost guarantee that Redpaw's ignorance won't last very long with Dawnpaw with him. Don't forget about Dawnpaw's visions, too. There will be more as the storyline progresses, if you like reading them.**


	4. Chapter 3

**This took a little too long to write, but now it's finished. I'm sorry if it's a little bland. The next chapter will be more interesting. Read and Review!**

**Redpaw POV**

"You know, if you wanted to return to camp with all of your fur, you could have just asked," Redpaw told Berrytail, putting on a completely innocent expression, to which Berrytail glowered at him, nursing the missing patches of fur on his flank.

Beside him, Cinderpaw was having trouble holding back her amusement, but it shone in her light blue eyes. However, Cloudtail wasn't doing a thing to hide his chuckles. He had asked the new warrior to aid in their battle training and Redpaw had gladly practiced his leap and hold technique in which he had promptly torn some of Berrytail's fur out after he had tried to shake him off.

"Cheer up, Berrytail," Whitetail called from across the sandy training hollow. She had showed up with Robinpaw, Stormfur, and Bravepaw just before Redpaw had littered the ground with Berrytail's fur. "It could have been worse."

"Yeah, I could have flattened his enormous ego," Redpaw muttered to Cinderpaw quietly, causing her to _mrrow_ in light laughter. "Though, I don't think even _Cloudtail_ is big enough to do that!"

"I heard that!" Cloudtail exclaimed, glaring playfully at Redpaw and Cinderpaw. This sent Cinderpaw into another fit and Redpaw snorted.

"What're you going to do about it?" he challenged, knowing very well that the white warrior could plow him down if he wanted to.

The fur on Cloudtail's back fluffed up so that he looked even twice his normal size and looked as if he had rolled into a bank of snow and it had permanently clung to every strand of fur. Instead of being intimidated like he should have been, Redpaw murmured to Cinderpaw, "Now _that's_ the meaning behind the word furball."

"Um, Redpaw…shouldn't you take it easy? I've seen Cloudtail fight and it doesn't fair very well for his opponent." Cinderpaw's eyes had widened with anxiety and she edged away from Redpaw to get away from Cloudtail's intended path to him.

"He won't kill me," Redpaw replied with certainty, still not afraid. "I'll be fine."

That was when Cloudtail had darted forward, leaping at him with paws outstretched. With only a heartbeat to think, Redpaw rolled to the side to dodge the attack, but Cloudtail had expected that and as soon as he landed just a tail-length away, he reared and came down on Redpaw.

Only, Redpaw wasn't there anymore. Where his shoulders had once been, Cloudtail's paws were pressed to the ground and he was growling in frustration. He had thought he had him. Turning his head, Cloudtail spotted Redpaw sitting a couple of fox-lengths away. He was mildly confused at the sudden shift in surroundings and was a little light-headed but was otherwise okay.

And that surprised him.

Just like Cinderpaw, Redpaw had seen Cloudtail in battle. Despite his size, he got around fast and his blows were as swift as lightning breaking across the sky. He hadn't seen Cloudtail falter and hadn't exactly felt his own paws moving, either. All he felt was panic and just a little fear at the prospect of being bruised and battered.

"Wow!" Robinpaw exclaimed, having seen the whole thing along with everyone else. "I've never seen a cat move so fast! Redpaw that was amazing!"

Redpaw blinked. So he _had_ fled from Cloudtail. The only question was how he had done it so fast.

"I think we're done for the day," Cloudtail announced after a moment of silence and Redpaw was relieved that none of them had asked any questions. Turning to Cinderpaw, however, he could see that she was yearning to interrogate him, the unspoken questions in her searching gaze as she met his.

Redpaw looked away and he fell into step behind Cloudtail and Berrytail. Cinderpaw's gaze seared his pelt, but he didn't look at her again until they were back at camp and they separated from the warriors.

"What was that about?" Cinderpaw hissed, leaping in front of him and blocking his escape to the apprentices' den. Over her shoulder, he could see Birdpaw and Dawnpaw sitting together just outside the den.

Redpaw shrugged. He wanted to know what had happened just as much as she did. "I don't know. It's never happened before."

"You were standing in one place one heartbeat and then you were gone the next! How can you not know?"

"Look, Cinderpaw, if I knew what was going on, I would have told you. You don't have to pester me about it," Redpaw retorted and he slid past her as she stiffened at his harsh tone.

Sighing in relief, Redpaw padded toward his siblings. As he neared, however, he realized that Dawnpaw was upset and Birdpaw was attempting to comfort her. By the expressionless glaze over Dawnpaw's eyes, though, it didn't seem as if it were doing any good.

Birdpaw looked up from her attempts to earn Dawnpaw's attention and his presence evoked a sigh of relief from her. She rounded Dawnpaw and met Redpaw halfway, her gaze saddened and worried.

"What's wrong with Dawnpaw?"

"I don't know. She's been like this all morning," Birdpaw told him, glancing at Dawnpaw. "She didn't eat anything when she woke up and has just been sitting there since then."

"Did something happen yesterday?" Redpaw asked her. They had gone on patrol together with their mentors.

Birdpaw shook her head. "No, everything was fine. She even caught a huge squirrel yesterday when we were hunting. I've never seen her like this."

"Did you ask Squirrelflight about it? Or maybe Sorreltail?" Redpaw suggested. After all, it seemed like a she-cat thing to him.

"Sorreltail gave Dawnpaw the day off and Squirrelflight is away on patrol," Birdpaw meowed, still anxious. "I'll ask Squirrelflight when she gets back but I'm just really worried about Dawnpaw. This isn't like her to just fall apart."

"Isn't it obvious?"

Redpaw and Birdpaw both jumped at Berrytail's mew that had surprised them both. Redpaw turned to give the cream tom a glare. "What do you know about Dawnpaw?"

Berrytail ignored his harsh tone and instead lapped at a paw nonchalantly. He looked up at them. "Some cat broke her heart."

Birdpaw narrowed her eyes at him. "What would you know about heartbreak?"

Berrytail snorted. "Hazelsplash went through the same thing when she was mooning over Thornclaw."

Birdpaw and Redpaw shared a glance. _Hazelsplash mooned over Thornclaw? _

"But Hazelsplash got over him, right?" Birdpaw asked desperately.

"Yeah, of course after a little bit," Berrytail told them. "Well, nice chat, but Honeypaw is waiting for me…"

As Berrytail trailed away from them, Birdpaw sighed in relief. "At least now we know what's wrong. I'll try talking to her now."

She left Redpaw alone to his thoughts. And what murderous thoughts they were. _I told Mouseclaw that he better not hurt her, _he ranted silently, pacing back in forth, lashing his tail with every turn. _I swear to StarClan that if he is the reason for all this, I'll kill him, go to StarClan, and kill him there too._

"Redpaw? Everything okay?"

Speaking of…Redpaw turned slowly to face the cat he had once thought of as a trusted friend. Meeting Mouseclaw's gaze, he was glad that the tom was smaller than he was. It would make intimidating him so much easier. Mouseclaw flinched under the intense scrutiny and a glimmer of fear gleamed dimly in his eyes.

"Did you do something to Dawnpaw?" he questioned tersely.

After first recovering from Redpaw's obvious display of dislike, Mouseclaw tilted his head to the side just ever so slightly. "What do you mean?" He sounded genuinely bewildered.

Redpaw gritted his teeth so as to not growl in impatience. "Dawnpaw is over there, heartbroken. I told you not to mess with her. So, I repeat, _did you do anything to her_?"

Mouseclaw blinked in realization. Quickly, he shook his head. "No! Of course not. Besides, I got over her a little while ago."

Redpaw's muscles relaxed and he unclenched his teeth. "You got over her?"

"Yes. I figured that since she would hardly spare me the time it was pointless to try to win her over," Mouseclaw meowed. Then he shivered. "By the way, you are terrifying when you're angry."

Redpaw felt a surge of smugness at his ability to intimidate. Then, his triumph was smashed by confusion when he realized he still had no idea why Dawnpaw was heartbroken the way she was. Who had hurt her? Since when did Dawnpaw have a crush on any cat?

As Mouseclaw changed the subject to something else completely different, Redpaw still found himself plagued by these musings.

**Dawnpaw's POV**

_Sun beams gleamed through the gaps in the plump canopy above the forest floor. Down the worn path that wound through the trees, two cats strolled. Their bodies were pressed close beside each other and their fur always brushed with every step. A pelt of shorter golden tabby fur mingled with his curtain of longer gray and white fur. Her striped, golden tail encircled his white tail._

_After several heartbeats of bird song, The golden she-cat purred and she came to a halt. The gray and white tom didn't question this. He just rounded her and leaned down to press his muzzle against her ear. "Sundapple, I love you," he murmured, his warm breath stirring the short hairs inside her ear._

_Though he couldn't see, she knew that he felt the shivers that swept through her. "Oh Cloudwhisker," she breathed, looking up into his warm, affectionate dark blue gaze. "I love you too."_

_Cloudwhisker purred in content as he closed he eyes for a heartbeat before they opened again. "I love you," he repeated, his purr still emanating from his throat. "You and only you."_

Dawnpaw gasped as she keeled over, feeling the aching wave of pain rip through her chest. She trembled, having curled into herself. The vision had only strengthened her feeling of loss for Cloudwhisker. It also fueled the betrayal, and the thought that gnawed at her mind that told her that her relationship with Cloudwhisker had never truly been real enough to him. All he cared about was that his dear Sundapple was gone, and because she looked like the she-cat she had taken her place.

"How could you do this to her?"

The snarl brought Dawnpaw to focus and she suddenly realized that she hadn't woken up in the apprentices' den where she'd fallen asleep, but that she was in StarClan. The voice, though, caused a shiver of dread to go down her spine.

Even if Mistymoon had been friendly with her during her visits to StarClan, the she-cat was just too much like Cloudwhisker. They shared the same dark blue eyes that had been filled with such love in her vision. Only, that love had been for _Sundapple_. Dawnpaw had never seen such a large amount of emotion like that in him when she had been around him. Sure, he'd been affectionate, but never that _loving._

Blinking her stinging eyes, Dawnpaw straightened. She was hidden behind a wall of ferns. Peering through the leaves, she realized in horror that Mistymoon had been growling to Cloudwhisker. _Oh no._

"Why are you just so…so…careless!" Mistymoon hissed, her eyes ablaze with fury. She pushed her face close to his and he shrank back away from her, his own eyes betraying his pain.

"I didn't mean to hurt her," he protested sharply, his eyes flashing.

"And yet you did," Mistymoon retorted. "She's hardly eaten for days now and she refuses to leave the camp. Cloudwhisker, she's slipping away. What you did is literally eating away at her from the inside."

Cloudwhisker looked away from her sharply. He closed his eyes tightly and visibly trembled. When his eyes opened again, Dawnpaw was surprised at the misery swimming there. Sighing, he dropped his chin onto his chest. "I never meant to hurt her."

Surprisingly, Mistymoon's gaze softened. "How could you believe that she wouldn't be affected by you leaving her? Cloudwhisker, imagine if she were Sundapple now. Imagine the hurt in her eyes."

"I don't have to," Cloudwhisker growled bitterly. "I've already seen it. In the time that I had with Sundapple, I never hurt her like I have Dawnpaw. Why is it so different now?"

Mistymoon regarded him sympathetically. "Everything _is _more difficult. For one, she's in ThunderClan and you remain in StarClan with the dead. You exist only in her dreams. But now, you not only live in her dreams, you dwell within the nightmares that plague her daily."

"I know," Cloudwhisker whispered, sounded hollow. "I shouldn't have led her on and then broken her heart when she least expected it. It was cruel and I'll probably never get a chance to tell her how horrible I feel."

Dawnpaw wanted to feel happy that he was suffering for what he had done, but she couldn't. No matter how much his actions had wounded her, she still couldn't wish anything like that upon him. She cared for him too much.

So, with a deep breath, Dawnpaw stepped though the ferns in just one, swift movement. "Cloudwhisker?"


	5. Chapter 4

**Even though I don't deserve it, but…..please review?**

**Redpaw's POV**

Redpaw watched Cinderpaw carefully, examining her hunting crouch carefully from a distance. Cloudtail had encouraged him to take note of other cats' techniques and Redpaw decided to heed his temporary mentor's orders. Cinderpaw was stalking a sparrow and even though the bird's back was turned toward her, her pawsteps were heavy enough so that Redpaw heard them from three foxlengths away.

Other than that small error, Cinderpaw glided over the stretch between herself and her prey with ease, keeping her tail and belly fur from sweeping the ground and furthermore making even _more_ noise. The sparrow twitched, hopping forward slightly on its spindly legs and Cinderpaw froze, keeping as still as the stone that surrounded their camp.

After several tense heartbeats, Cinderpaw shifted forward again and Redpaw itched to be involved in the hunt. He didn't enjoy being on the sidelines. He _needed_ to feel his prey underneath his claws. Suddenly, as he lay in the shelter of a fern bush, a silent rush went through him and a heat went down his spine and down to his legs.

In the next moment, Redpaw's claws sunk into the flesh of the sparrow and he instinctively sunk his teeth into its neck, feeling the heat fill his mouth. The sparrow went limp once its blood had seeped onto the forest floor, its heart stopping.

A startled squeak brought Redpaw twisted around with his claws still unsheathed and sparrow blood dripping from his jaw. Cinderpaw stared up at him in shock, and he caught the surprise in her gaze too. Realization hit him and he finally grasped what he had just done. _Somehow, _he had had gotten to the sparrow before Cinderpaw had, but he had been so far away compared to Cinderpaw. It was physically impossible!

Redpaw sheathed his claws and he lowered into a crouch fearfully, his ears flattening against his head. "I, I…" he trailed off, unsure of what to say. Forgetting about the sparrow, Redpaw sprang away, launching into a run. He bolted away Cinderpaw and into the trees, but he soon realized that the trunks were passing at a rate too fast for him to decipher where he was actually going.

Adrenaline pumped through him and he still wasn't sure what was going on. How was he going so fast? _It isn't possible!_

Redpaw commanded his paws to stop and they listened as he lurched into a skid. Coming to a complete stop and looking behind him, he saw marks in the ground that he had left. He suddenly felt sick. _This isn't normal…I have to tell someone. I'll ask Leafpool…_

**Dawnpaw's POV**

They sat in silence. Mistymoon had retreated once Cloudwhisker's attention had completely focused on Dawnpaw. His eyes had brightened at her appearance, but then they dimmed once again as he surveyed Dawnpaw, taking note of the changes in her since the last time he'd seen her. Her fur had nearly lost all its shine and she'd become skinnier after refusing to eat.

Dawnpaw took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. It soared at seeing Cloudwhisker once again, but she also knew that this conversation would hardly be a walk through the flowers. However, her heart continued to pound in her chest as she padded forward until she was hardly a foxlength away from him.

"This is your chance to say whatever you need to say," she told him.

Instead of apologizing like Dawnpaw had expected him to, Cloudwhisker breathed a sigh of relief and he surged forward, taking Dawnpaw by complete surprise. Before she could react in any way, Cloudwhisker had pressed his body against hers, wrapping her in a loving embrace.

Rubbing his muzzle across Dawnpaw's cheek, he murmured in her ear, "I missed you."

Dawnpaw swallowed, weighing her options. She contemplated pushing Cloudwhisker away and demanding to know why he was leaving her, but quickly rejected the idea. She didn't have the heart to do that. _Besides_, she thought, _he obviously suffered just as much as I did._

So, Dawnpaw purred and she entwined their tails together, an action so familiar to her that it hurt. "I missed you, too," she mewed, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply as his scent engulfed around her. She nearly forgot how to breathe as she relished in her closeness to Cloudwhisker.

And then, suddenly, it all became too much for Dawnpaw. The memory of Cloudwhisker's departure hit her as if she had gone tumbling into a fast-flowing river. The hurt and pain she had felt just a quarter-moon earlier became much fresher, gnawing at her mended heart, threatening to break it once more. Going rigid, Dawnpaw ripped her tail from Cloudwhisker's as she pulled away from him.

"I…I can't do this," she meowed shakily, shaking her head, "I can't do this knowing that you'll be leaving soon and I have to say goodbye."

"Dawnpaw…" Cloudwhisker started, looking pained.

"Don't," Dawnpaw cut him off sharply. "It'll just hurt more when I have to say goodbye to you."

"Then let's make the most of it," Cloudwhisker persisted. "Please, Sundapple."

Dawnpaw recoiled sharply as if she had been struck. Her heart ached with hurt, remembering the dream she had witnessed before she entered StarClan. "Is that who I am to you?" she asked him, angry. "Am I just Sundapple's replacement because she isn't around anymore and I look like her? Is that the only reason you ever took an interest in me?"

"Of course not!" Cloudwhisker retorted, his eyes sparking with a newfound anger. "If you knew the reason why I chose you, you'd understand everything so much more."

"Then tell me!" Dawnpaw exclaimed. "And don't feed me that 'I can't tell you' stuff because it's just plain mousedung and I don't want to hear it!"

Cloudwhisker sighed, knowing that she had him cornered. "Dawnpaw, I could get in trouble for telling you and if I did it could change everything. I'll tell you, though, that you and Sundapple have a connection and you can see bits of her past life."

Dawnpaw's eyes widened a fraction before she narrowed them in suspicion. "How did you know about those? Have you been spying on my dreams?"

"I don't have to," Cloudwhisker told her calmly. "I was already told all this before you were even born."

"And that's why you sought my attention; because I knew about you and Sundapple?"

"Dawnpaw," Cloudwhisker sighed in exasperation. "You are brave, smart, and you have a loving heart. You've always held my attention, even when I knew about yours and Sundapple's connection. That's why I love you."

Dawnpaw's breath caught as she felt a shiver pass through her and she felt warm from her tail to her ear-tips at his confession. "You…You _love _me?"

Cloudwhisker's gaze softened and he shifted closer again, leaning down and pushing his nose to hers and staring affectionately into her eyes. "Yes, I do."

Dawnpaw closed her eyes, breathing in his scent once again before she opened them again. Looking deep into his eyes, she asked, "Will I see you after tonight?"

"I don't know," he answered truthfully. "You know I can't tell you everything, but I will tell you that the transition could take a few days so Bluestar wants to start early."

"Transition," Dawnpaw echoed in confusion. "To where you're going?"

Cloudwhisker nodded affirmative and Dawnpaw's heart sank. Looking down at her paws, she tried to gather the courage for what she was preparing to say. "Then I guess now is the time to say goodbye."

"I guess so," Cloudwhisker murmured rubbing his muzzle along her cheek with a purr. "I know this is hard for you, but remember that you'll see me again. I know that for sure. I'll always be there for you, whether you realize it or not."

Dawnpaw swallowed thickly. "I'll try to keep that in mind," she murmured and looked up at him. Imprinting the image of his face into her memory for safekeeping, she blinked sadly. "Goodbye Cloudwhisker."

Cloudwhisker touched his nose to her ear. "Goodbye Dawnpaw."

Dawnpaw pulled away, her eyes stinging. "I have to go now," she whispered, looking anywhere but at him.

"I love you."

"I love you too," she murmured before she was too far gone.

Dawnpaw drowsily blinked her eyes open to the light of sunhigh. Slowly getting to her paws, she breathed in shakily, aware of the ache in her chest. Sighing, she forced herself to compose herself and push away her grief. It was bad enough that she hadn't done anything for the past quarter-moon, and she refused to continue to mope and be deadweight to the Clan again. It was time that she should get over Cloudwhisker and move on. It was no use dwelling on the memory of him if all it caused was pain.

Ducking out of the den, Dawnpaw stretched as the warm sunlight washed over her, contrasting against the cool air. As her gaze drifted over the clearing and reached the fresh-kill pile, her stomach rumbled. She was starving from her state of immobility. Mouth watering, she started to make her way over to the pile.

"Watch out!" Dawnpaw barely froze mid-step as Snowkit raced by with Tansykit following him closely.

"Tansykit, Snowkit!" Brightheart called from outside the nursery where Cloverkit and Hailkit suckled. "Stay out from under warriors' paws!"

"Dawnpaw isn't a warrior yet!" Tansykit protested as she tackled Snowkit.

"Agh," Snowkit grunted, trying to get away from Tansykit's claws. He turned his blue eyes on Dawnpaw. "Dawnpaw help!"

Purring in amusement at the kits' antics, she flicked her tail and leaned over to pluck Tansykit off of her larger denmate. Immediately, Snowkit raced off in the direction of the elders' den where Longtail was basking in the sunlight alone. Silently waiting until Snowkit was a few fox-lengths away, Dawnpaw lowered a squirming Tansykit onto the ground.

"No fair!" she called over her shoulder at Dawnpaw before chasing after Snowkit.

Dawnpaw stared after her for a moment longer before she refocused on her mission. This time, though, there was no cat standing in her way. She finished the rest of her trek over to the fresh-kill pile and nosed through her choices before finally grasping a plump squirrel by its neck and dragging it over to a secluded spot.

Digging into the surprisingly still warm body, she savored every bite. However, her meal unfortunately finished long before her mind could process that she had eaten. She was still hungry, but Dawnpaw knew that eating more would only make her sick.

Sighing, she settled with washing her paws and cleaning her whiskers to get the last remaining juices of squirrel. Once she had finished, Dawnpaw sat back and surveyed the rest of the camp.

Brightheart was now sharing tongues with Daisy and Ferncloud after her kits had finished and joined Tansykit and Snowkit for a story from the elders. Dawnpaw spotted Bravepaw looking for ticks on Longtail, his ears perked as he worked, listening to the old cat's tale. Even when Bravepaw and Dawnpaw had been kits with their siblings Bravepaw had always enjoyed a good story, whether it was from the elders or Squirrelflight.

Dawnpaw vaguely wondered what story Longtail was telling the kits and then settled for asking Bravepaw later if she got the chance. Then Dawnpaw remembered that Mousefur was sick and she felt guilty for not remembering in the first place.

Tearing her gaze from the kits and Longtail, she glanced up at the entrance of Firestar's den. Now that she thought about it, she had hardly seen Firestar in the time of her depression. Dawnpaw's eyes narrowed anxiously. What if Firestar lost a life? How many did he have left?

As she allowed her mind to drift, she saw Sandstorm leave the den. Dawnpaw watched the pale ginger she-cat bound down the tumble of rocks and into the clearing, surprised to find that her fur was matted and tangled while her eyes were dull and lifeless, a shell of the vibrant she-cat Dawnpaw remembered her to be before Firestar fell ill.

Sandstorm was unaware of Dawnpaw's stare as she quickly grabbed a rabbit off the top of the pile and retreated back into the shadows of her mate's den.

In her shock at seeing Sandstorm in that state, Dawnpaw looked dazedly around the clearing and her gaze rested on Honeypaw, surprised to find that she too had been watching Sandstorm, her mentor. Looking away from Firestar's den, Honeypaw heavily rested her muzzle on her paws. Dawnpaw was about to get up and comfort her friend when she spotted Berryclaw padding up to her. After speaking with her, the two got up and promptly left the camp.

Dawnpaw tried to ignore the rush of guilt she felt for not being there for Honeypaw and instead tried to find it in herself to be happy for her and Berrytail. Though, Dawnpaw still wondered how Honeypaw had fallen for _Berrytail _in the first place.

"Dawnpaw!" Cinderpaw's voice broke through her musings and Dawnpaw looked up to see the gray tabby she-cat padding over to her.

"Hi Cinderpaw," Dawnpaw greeted her and as Cinderpaw neared, she caught the concerned gleam in her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I..It's Redpaw," Cinderpaw told her and Dawnpaw perked her ears in interest at her brother's name.

"What about him?" Dawnpaw prompted.

Cinderpaw sighed. "This morning, we were hunting as usual and Cloudtail left us alone to collect the rest of the prey we had caught when I spotted a sparrow. I immediately started toward it and Redpaw held back. But when I was just about to pounce he was suddenly there with the sparrow dead at his paws. I know it sounds a little insane, but Redpaw was at least several foxlengths behind me before then. There is no way he could have done that without me seeing him sneak by me. After that he just ran off with no explanation. Plus, this isn't the first time it's happened either."

Dawnpaw tilted her head to side slightly. _That certainly is something…_

Movement behind Cinderpaw caught Dawnpaw's eye and she looked past her, spotting Redpaw padding toward the medicine cat's den. "There he is now," Dawnpaw meowed and started around Cinderpaw. "I'll go talk to him."

Dawnpaw stopped Redpaw in mid-step. "Hey Redpaw," she meowed, ignoring the annoyed look she received, "Cinderpaw told me what happened earlier."

"She did, did she? Well you can tell her that it isn't any of her business," Redpaw retorted spitefully.

Dawnpaw's eyes widened in surprise and his harsh tone, but didn't let that deter her. "Don't blame Cinderpaw. After all, she was only concerned for you," Dawnpaw insisted and her eyes grew soft, "I'm your sister, Redpaw. I care about you, too. Now, will you please tell me what's gotten into you lately?"

Redpaw sighed. "Alright, but I'll tell you outside of the camp away from everyone."

Dawnpaw glanced at Cinderpaw as she followed Redpaw out of camp. The she-cat's eyes still carried a hunt of concern so Dawnpaw gave her a nod and a wave of her tail before disappearing into the tunnel and coming out into the forest.

Redpaw led her further through the trees until they could hardly see the camp walls through the dying foliage. "Here's fine," he told her before coming to a stop. Dawnpaw paused and stared at him, her ears perked expectantly.

"Keep in mind that I'm still not sure about all of this, but," he began slowly and hesitantly, "I think that I have some sort of power or something."

That got Dawnpaw's attention. _Power? What's he talking about?_

Seeing the confusion on Dawnpaw's face, Redpaw continued. "Before I caught that sparrow I felt the urge to sink my claws into it and then suddenly there I was, sparrow dead and Cinderpaw so surprised she nearly fell. The first time it happened was just like that. I knew that I had to move quickly and then I did, so quick that I didn't even know that I did until I realized that I wasn't trapped underneath Berryclaw anymore."

Suddenly, realization washed over Dawnpaw and she gasped, leaving her sitting position behind and standing on all fours. Her eyes widened in shock as she looked at Redpaw, disbelief in her eyes.

"What?" Redpaw asked, bewildered. "What did I say?"

"You…You're the second StarClan's been looking for. You're part of the Three!"

**Yuck. I hate myself for prolonging the time it took to write this. After I wrote Redpaw's opening, I got stuck at the little cliffhanger I left at the end of the last chapter. I still wasn't what I wanted to happen because there were possibilities for each decision. However, I think I made the smart choice. I hope. From now on, I'm sorry to say that Cloudwhisker will only be featured in flashbacks of Sundapple's life and Dawnpaw's memories. *sniffle* I'm gonna miss him!**

blackcloud(Guest**): Sorry this chapter took forever. I have plans for Cloudwhisker later. Just wait a little longer :)**


	6. Chapter 5

**Redpaw's POV**

Redpaw's jaw dropped as he stared at Dawnpaw incredulously. "What in StarClan's name are you talking about?" he thundered. "Is this some kind of joke?"

For a heartbeat, Dawnpaw looked taken aback by his forceful words. She blinked and then launched into scolding, just as angry. "Of course this isn't a joke, Redpaw! You just don't understand what I'm talking about!"

"Then just _tell_ me what I don't understand," Redpaw growled, lashing his tail.

Dawnpaw sighed and mumbled under her breath something too quiet for Redpaw to hear. "After Tigerstar sent us those dreams a few moons ago I started having these visions, each of them nearly the same and recurring every few nights. It wasn't until the battle with WindClan that I realized that the visions weren't just a silly dream. They turned out to be real and long before he ever died I'd seen Thornclaw's cold, lifeless body."

Redpaw twitched his ear, trying to make sense of what his sister had just told him. "So…you had visions of the future? Has it happened since?"

"Not that I recall," Dawnpaw answered.

"After one instance you're ready to say you can see the future?" Redpaw asked and Dawnpaw nodded, leading Redpaw to scoff at her poor reasoning.

"That isn't the reason why, though," Dawnpaw interrupted him. "I visited StarClan and Bluestar and Redtail spoke with me. They told of a prophecy made long ago about three of kin of Firestar's kin who would hole the power of the stars in their paws. Bluestar confirmed that I was one of them and I agreed that I would help them find the other two."

Redpaw paused. He wanted to dismiss what Dawnpaw was telling him because it all seemed unreal, but a part of him felt like she was telling the truth and that he should trust her. _Why would she go to the trouble of making this all up for nothing?_

"Okay," Redpaw meowed slowly, "I believe you, but I'm still not sure that I'm the cat you're looking for."

Dawnpaw sent him a withering look. "You just told me that you can move faster than Berrytail presented with food and now you're saying that you don't think you're part of the Three who are all supposed to have these amazing powers?"

"Er…" Redpaw was at a lost to explain himself, but it was still hard to wrap his mind around the fact that he was all mixed up in this mess with StarClan. He still wanted to know _why_ three cats had to have special powers in the first place… "What does the Dark Forest have to do with this?"

"Bluestar told me that the Dark Forest is getting stronger and they're looking for recruits in the living world to gain access to the Clans. I've had a few run-ins with them myself throughout the times that I've visited StarClan," Dawnpaw told him.

Redpaw's gaze zeroed in on the scar running just under her eye down past her cheek. "Is that where you go that from?" he asked, flicking his tail over the scar.

Dawnpaw's gaze wavered and Redpaw was surprised to see a glimmer of sadness in her green eyes. "No, that isn't where I got it from," she replied softly, avoiding his gaze.

Redpaw chose not to pester her about the subject any longer. "So what am I supposed to do about this power?"

The sadness in Dawnpaw's eyes melted away as she thought. "I'm not sure. Your power is more physical than mine and unpredictable. The first time you visit StarClan I'm sure Bluestar will tell you."

"What am I supposed to tell everyone who sees me do it?"

Dawnpaw shrugged. "I don't know. You could just blow it off like nothing happened, but I'm pretty sure that Cinderpaw is suspicious already. If it happens again when she's around then you might have to tell her about the power."

"Tell her?" Redpaw echoed, imagining the look on Cinderpaw's face when he did. "She'll think I'm a mousebrain!"

Dawnpaw rolled her eyes. "You're overly dramatic, did you know that? Besides, she's already seen it for real so it won't be _that _hard for to accept."

Redpaw sighed in defeat. "Fine, I'll tell her if it gets to that point."

"Good," Dawnpaw meowed and she shivered. "Now, I'm going back to camp. It was stupid of you to pick a spot in the _shade _for us to talk in. I'm freezing!"

Redpaw watched as his sister marched back to camp. As he started after her, he grumbled to him, "And she calls _me _overdramatic!"

"_Foxpaw, Foxpaw!" _

_Foxpaw looked around at the congratulating cats who were all cheering for him. Lifting his chin, he searched his father's face for approval and a rush of warmth washed through him as he saw the pride shining in his amber eyes as he looked down at Foxpaw._

_Looking away, Foxpaw caught Copperpaw's icy gaze as she stood away from the throng of their Clanmates. He shivered not for the first time at the cold dislike in her eyes as well as the disgusted curl of her lip. Before Foxpaw shifted his gaze, he saw Shadepelt join her, realizing that his father had picked the worst possible mentor for Copperpaw. Shadepelt was just as hostile as she was!_

_A light tap on his shoulder prompted Foxpaw to look away and he turned his head to see Stormheart, his own mentor. The larger tom peered down at him with friendly eyes, obviously not as vicious as Shadepelt. _

"_What are we doing first?" Foxpaw asked excitedly, nearly quivering with anticipation._

_Stormheart purred in amusement. "We'll take you on a tour of the territory first, won't we?"_

_Stormheart looked up and Foxpaw followed his gaze, only for his eyes to widen in surprise. His father was coming too?_

"_Of course," the large ginger tom nodded to Stormheart before starting toward the thorn tunnel. "Let's go, Foxpaw."_

Redpaw's eyes shot open as the dream ended and the lingering sense of familiarity filled him once again, as it had the first time as well. Sighing, her gaze swept wearily around the den, groaning quietly when he realized that it was still very dark outside and all of his denmates were sleeping. As he finally came to Dawnpaw he wondered whether or not she was sharing dreams with StarClan. She had spoken so surely of them that he was sure that she'd been there many times before.

Suddenly, he envied Dawnpaw for her closeness to their warrior ancestors. Any questions she had she could ask Bluestar or Redtail and instantly have an answer. Faintly, he wondered if her connection with StarClan was stronger than Leafpool's. After all, Leafpool is their medicine cat and is inclined to have a good relationship with StarClan.

Shoving the question to the back of his overcrowded mind, Redpaw rested his chin on his paws. _Great, _he thought, _now that my mind is buzzing I can't go back to sleep._

Sighing, Redpaw rose to his paws and he licked down the fur ruffled from sleep before he padded into the night air to clear his mind. His gaze swept the clearing and spotted Ashfur on guard. Surprisingly, though, he wasn't the only cat in the clearing.

Shadows shifted just outside Firestar's den and Sandstorm emerged from inside, racing into Leafpool's den. Redpaw perked his ears as Sandstorm and Leafpool exited the medicine cats' den a moment later. The two she-cats disappeared into Firestar's den.

Redpaw's heart pounded. What was wrong with Firestar? Did his sickness get worse?

"Firestar is losing a life," Squirrelflight meowed from behind Redpaw and he jumped, startled by her surprise appearance.

Redpaw looked back over his shoulder at her. "How can you be so sure?"

Squirrelflight padded closer to him, a faraway look in her eyes as she peered into the darkness of Firestar's den. "I've seen him lose lives before."

"How many lives does Firestar have left?" Redpaw asked.

Squirrelflight shrugged. "Only StarClan and Leafpool know. I do know that this isn't his last, though."

Redpaw felt himself sag in relief. He wasn't prepared to lose his mentor. "What are you doing awake, anyway?"

Squirrelflight looked away from Firestar's den and at Redpaw. "Brambleclaw started coughing last night. I'm afraid that he's caught whitecough or even greencough. I couldn't get any sleep."

Redpaw's eyes widened a fraction. Brambleclaw was sick? Dread filled him as fear encased his heart. What if Brambleclaw got worse and the Clan lost their deputy? What if Redpaw and his siblings lost their father? Squirrelflight would lose her mate…Redpaw frantically shook his head, trying to forget the devastating images that flooded his mind of Brambleclaw, still and cold. Dead. _Brambleclaw won't die, _he told himself, _and he wouldn't leave us to join StarClan._

"I know what you're thinking," Squirrelflight murmured, reading the panic in his eyes. She stretched her neck and licked Redpaw's ear comfortingly. "Brambleclaw will get better. You don't have to worry."

It would have been in fact comforting if not for the fact that Redpaw could see the worry in Squirrelflight's own eyes. Her comforting words were merely for his benefit. She was just as unsure and uneasy as he was. This only made Redpaw more anxious than he already was.

Squirrelflight licked his ear once more before she turned and retreated back into the warriors' den. Redpaw watched her go and then turned back to watching Firestar's den. Leafpool exited and she slowly padded back into her den, her tail drooping slightly.

Redpaw lifted his face to Silverpelt twinkling brightly far above his head. Not sure if any of his warrior ancestors were looking back down at him, he narrowed his eyes as if glaring at any of the starry cats who were.

_Please, StarClan. Don't take Brambleclaw away from us._

**Dawnpaw's POV**

Dawnpaw narrowed her eyes as she stared at Brambleclaw who was wheezing in an effort to breathe. Ignoring Sorreltail's call that she should join her hunting patrol, she stalked nearer to her father, tail flicking in annoyance.

"Brambleclaw, you should really see Leafpool about your cough," she mewed frankly.

Brambleclaw's gaze shifted to focus on her and immediately shook his head. "I'm fine, really," he insisted, despite the discharge streaming from his nose. "I'm not wasting any herbs that could be used on another cat."

"You know as well as I do that you're being a stubborn mousebrain about all of this," Dawnpaw retorted earnestly, twitching her ear. "What would happen if ThunderClan was without their deputy and their leader?"

"Firestar is getting better," Brambleclaw murmured diligently. "You're just like your mother; trying to get me to go see Leafpool."

Dawnpaw fixed him with a flinty, relentless glare until Brambleclaw's chin dropped onto his chest and he sighed. "Alright, I'll go and see her now," Brambleclaw complied. He glanced over Dawnpaw's shoulder. "You'd better hurry and join Sorreltail's patrol. She might skin you alive if you cost her any more time."

With a lick to his daughter's forehead, Brambleclaw bounded toward Leafpool's den. Dawnpaw waited just long enough to see him disappear into the den before she turned and hurried to meet up with Sorreltail, cringing at her mentor's stormy expression. Dawnpaw fattened her ears and she slinked by the tortoiseshell warrior and pulled up beside Hazelsplash and Robinpaw.

"Thank you for finally joining us, Dawnpaw," Sorreltail mewed coolly before she stalked to the bramble tunnel with Whitewing on her tail.

Dawnpaw inhaled the fresh, earthy forest scents as the hunting patrol veered toward the ShadowClan border. She didn't realize just how much she missed hunting.

"Did you hear about Firestar losing a life last night?" Hazelsplash murmured.

Dawnpaw's eyes widened in surprise and her jaw dropped open. After a heartbeat, she robotically shut her mouth with a snap. "No," she admitted, "I didn't."

"Firestar lost a life?" Robinpaw chirped, "How many has he got left?"

Hazelsplash rolled her eyes. "Only Leafpool knows that! And maybe Sandstorm…"

Though, Dawnpaw vaguely wondered just how close their leader was to his final life. Surely the Clan should know if Firestar was on his last life, right? That way they could be prepared if he really did…die. She knew that Firestar wasn't a young cat, but he still wasn't old either. Sandstorm still had seasons before she would retire to the elders' den!

"If you spent as much time hunting prey as you three do moving your mouths then you might actually catch something!" Sorreltail tossed over her shoulder and Dawnpaw winced at her mentor's harsh tone.

"Sorry Sorreltail," she murmured before they trudged on in silence.

Dawnpaw swept her gaze around her surroundings, searching for signs of prey among the undergrowth. As she took another step a white haze drifted across her eyes. Dawnpaw blinked erratically, trying to clear whatever had gotten in her eyes, but it wouldn't go away. She vigorously shook her head, but the haze refused to move. Just as she was beginning to panic, the white haze vanished and a scene took its place right in front of her.

It was like she was actually there. Trees still surrounded her, but they were different and more scattered. The clearing she recognized as the border with ShadowClan and the sun filtered down onto the forest floor from the same position as it was. However, growls and hisses cut through the air, causing Dawnpaw to focus on the battle before her.

A hoard of ShadowClan cats rained down on the small ThunderClan patrol. The patrol, consisting of Brackenfur, Birdpaw, Berrytail, Brook, and Squirrelflight, was severely outnumbered. A large ginger tom had Birdpaw pinned in the matter of just a few heartbeats and Brook yelped as claws raked her pelt, spraying blood onto the ground.

Brackenfur was fighting hard, but he already had several scratches spanning his flank. Berrytail was fighting hard beside Squirrelflight. Both were panting and they were each lashing out at four ShadowClan warriors.

Dawnpaw gasped as the vision cleared and she could see again. Adrenaline raced through her veins and her heart pounded in her ears. For a moment, she looked around wildly before realizing each of the cats who were in her patrol were staring at her as if she had grown another tail.

"Dawnpaw," Hazelsplash started, "Are you okay?"

Dawnpaw opened her mouth to reply, but before she could give an excuse for her odd behavior a waft of ShadowClan scents washed over her. She suddenly realized that that had been the first vision she had received while conscious. Focusing on the more troubling matter at hand, Dawnpaw perked her ears for any movement in the brush ahead. The hunting patrol _was _near the border, but she still couldn't pick up any sounds.

"Dawnpaw?" Hazelsplash repeated, this time more hesitantly. "What's wrong?"

"I scented ShadowClan cats," Dawnpaw told them and Sorreltail and Whitewing stiffened.

However, Hazelsplash remained skeptical. "Are you sure? We're near the border. It could have been on the wind."

Dawnpaw shook her head. "No, I definitely smelled ShadowClan."

At that moment a yowl split the tense air and Dawnpaw jumped in surprise. Sorreltail's spine arched and Whitewing's tail fur puffed out as her eyes narrowed. "Robinpaw, go back to camp and get help. _Stay _there; you're still too inexperienced for this."

Robinpaw flattened her ears, obviously disagreeing with her mentor. However, she obliged and raced off back the way they'd come. Dawnpaw was impressed at how easily the young she-cat handled the order.

"Come on," Sorreltail meowed, flicking her tail to the rest of the patrol.

They followed Sorreltail further through the trees, their eyes trained warily on the path ahead. Dawnpaw opened her jaws once again and the flood of ShadowClan scent nearly made her gag and the strong odor.

Nearing the edge of the trees before the clearing that Dawnpaw had seen in her vision, Sorreltail came to a halt, her haunches rising as the battle came into view. It started where the vision had left off. The border patrol was being easily beaten by the hoard of ShadowClan warriors.

Dawnpaw spotted Russetfur in the midst of the battle. The ShadowClan deputy sat there, licking her paw and flicking it over her ear. Her nonchalant attitude caused Dawnpaw to growl lowly, only to be silenced by a twitch of Whitewing's tail.

A heartbeat later, Russetfur looked up and she looked around at the beaten ThunderClan cats, a gleam of triumph in her eyes. Sighing, she padded over to Squirrelflight who had a paw at her throat. She sat down in front of the ThunderClan she-cat and lowered her face to be level with Squirrelflight's.

Dawnpaw perked her ears, straining them to hear what Russetfur was saying. "Tell Firestar that ShadowClan needs more territory. Whatever ShadowClan wants, ShadowClan will get."

Squirrelflight hissed and spat in Russetfur's face and Dawnpaw felt a rush of warmth for her mother's resilience.

Dawnpaw looked to Sorreltail just in time to see the tortoiseshell she-cat wave her tail. As soon as the signal was given, the four cats rushed forward and into the clearing. They were still slightly outnumbered, but hopefully help would be there soon.

**Ta da! That's Chapter 5 with a cliffhanger! Hope you guys aren't too mad at me for that, but I'll have the next part up soon. Plus, we got another glimpse at Redpaw's weird dreams!**

**Review if you want to see more of Sundapple!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Before I begin Chapter 6, I'll say thanks to all of those who reviewed/fav/followed. Thanks to **shiraNOVA **for pointing out my mistake of calling Berrytail Berryclaw a few time in Chapter 4 and 5. My original name for Berrytail when he was an apprentice was going to be Berryclaw, but I changed it shortly before I gave it to him. Anyway, thanks! :)**

**Redpaw's POV**

Redpaw yawned and stretched as he left the apprentices' den a little before sunhigh. Blinking in the sunlight he allowed his eyes some time to adjust before padding over to the fresh-kill pile. He nosed through the meager offerings and settled with a mouse. Lifting the limp body from the ground, he carried it over to a patch of sunlight where Cinderpaw and Bravepaw sat together.

Cinderpaw looked up as he neared. "Hey, Redpaw! We were just talking about you."

Redpaw narrowed his eyes in suspicion and the tip of his twitch agitatedly. "What about?" he asked, trying to sound civil.

"Only about how you kept twitching in your sleep last night," Bravepaw assured him. He sounded almost apologetic and Redpaw stared at him, wondering if his brother had read his mind.

Cinderpaw's sparkling gaze suddenly darkened in concern as she looked at Redpaw. "Are you okay? Did you have a nightmare?"

Redpaw glanced at her as he swallowed a bite of mouse. He looked away and down at his paws. "It was just a dream," he murmured, "I don't even remember half of what it was about."

While Bravepaw gave him a disbelieving look, Cinderpaw touched the tip of her tail to his shoulder. "Are you sure? I can ask Leafpool to give you a poppy seed. It would help you sleep better."

"I'm fine," Redpaw insisted, not liking her sympathetic tone. He didn't want any cat to feel sorry for him. _StarClan knows why she has to be such a nosy she-cat._

"If you're sure…" Cinderpaw trailed off. After staring at Redpaw for a few heartbeats she abandoned the subject. "Cloudtail wants us to practice battle moves in the training hollow after sunhigh. After that, he'll take us out to hunt by the lakeshore for water voles."

Redpaw nodded as he downed that last of the mouse. After cleaning his whiskers of the remaining juices of his meal, he settled for gnawing on a few of the mouse bones. Cinderpaw and Bravepaw chattered on about who Snowkit will get apprenticed to.

As his denmates talked, Redpaw shifted his gaze to the nursery where Brightheart groomed her kits. Ferncloud and Daisy shared tongues beside her while Snowkit played with a small dead mouse. Redpaw watched the kit tackle the limp body and stretch his jaws over the mouse's neck. If he hadn't known where Snowkit had come from, Redpaw would have been mistaken to believe that Snowkit was a Clan kit. _Poor kit. I wonder if he realizes that he was born a rogue._

_Though, _Redpaw thought, _cats don't always have to live up to others' expectations. _He looked up to see Brambleclaw padding into Firestar's den, a sparrow hanging from his mouth. Firestar was once a kittypet and Brambleclaw was the son of Tigerstar. Redpaw would always be proud to call Brambleclaw and Firestar his kin.

The entrance tunnel quivered violently before Robinpaw burst into the clearing, panting and bristling. Redpaw looked behind her, expecting to see her mentor following her, but no other cat surfaced from the tunnel. Something was wrong.

"Robinpaw, where's Sorreltail and the rest of the patrol?" Leafpool asked, looking up from treating a thorn in Ashfur's paw.

"Where's Dawnpaw?" Honeypaw mewed anxiously, her tail tip twitching.

For the next couple of heartbeats, all Robinpaw was able to do was gulp air to smooth out her breathing. By the time she was relaxed enough every cat in the clearing had noticed her dramatic entrance.

"We were on patrol," Robinpaw began, still slightly breathless. "Near the ShadowClan border Dawnpaw picked up the scent of ShadowClan on our side of the border. Or at least, that's what she said. I didn't smell anything out of the ordinary. Then there was a yowl closer to the border ahead of us and Whitewing told me to come back to get help. I think that they must have gone ahead to check it out."

"Did someone say ShadowClan?" Brambleclaw asked as he bounded down the tumble of rocks leading from Firestar's den.

"There's ShadowClan on _our _side of the border!" Cloudtail hissed angrily.

Furious growls of outrage swept through the clearing and Redpaw shivered at the malice in their tones. Of course, he was angry at ShadowClan too, but he was glad that he belonged to ThunderClan of all the four Clans.

"We have to drive them out," Ferncloud meowed as Brightheart drew her kits closer to her belly.

"We will," Brambleclaw assured her with a nod. He turned to Cloudtail. "You will lead the patrol. Choose as many cats as you think you may need and leave Robinpaw in the clearing."

Cloudtail nodded and Redpaw felt a thrill of excitement soar through him. Surely he would take both of his apprentices on the patrol!

Cloudtail glanced around at the cats gathered in the clearing. "Stormfur, Dustpelt, Mouseclaw, Bravepaw, Cinderpaw, and Redpaw."

Redpaw hurried forward with Cinderpaw and Bravepaw at his tail. They skidded to a halt beside Cloudtail, their eyes shining with anticipation. Redpaw felt a familiar rush shiver through his legs, and he forced himself to remain stiff and unrelenting to his 'power' as Dawnpaw had called it. As much as he liked to believe that he was special, he still had a hard time believing that he, Dawnpaw, and whoever else was more powerful than StarClan.

With a swish of his tail, Cloudtail thundered out of the clearing. He dove into the entrance tunnel and his chosen patrol raced after him, the pounding of pawsteps ringing in Redpaw's ears.

**Dawnpaw's POV**

Dawnpaw launched herself at the tom looming over her sister. She leaped on top of the tom and held on to his shoulders with her claws embedded in his fur and flesh. Churning her back paws against his spine, she scored her claws across his haunches.

The tom hissed and writhed, releasing Birdpaw and dropping into a roll. Dawnpaw plucked her claws out of his shoulders and she scrambled onto the ground again. She immediately fell in beside Birdpaw and they faced the tom together.

Together, they lashed out with unsheathed claws. Dawnpaw caught her claws on the tom's face and the scratch immediately began to weld up with a stream of blood. Snarling, the tom lurched forward wrapping his paws around Dawnpaw's shoulders and shoving her onto her back, leaving her dazed from the impact of the earth against her spine.

Breathing haggardly, she hissed as the tom's claws slashed at her chest. A haze of heat settled around the wound and she knew that blood splattered her thick fur. Fighting through the disorientation, She kicked her hind legs against the tom's belly, but all he did was grunt and grip her tighter.

Twisting her head around, she looked around at the surrounding cats. _Where is Birdpaw?_

Suddenly the tom released her as another cat collided with him. Dawnpaw gasped as the pressure on her shoulders seized and she groaned at the pain in her chest. However, she hoisted herself off the ground and turned her head to see that it was not Birdpaw who had saved her. Redpaw tousled with the ginger tom and scored his claws down his flanks.

Realizing that he was nearly beaten, the tom retreated back into the flurry and Redpaw growled after him. A heartbeat later, Redpaw turned and he padded back to Dawnpaw.

"Are you okay?"

Dawnpaw snorted as she looked down at the scratches lining her chest. "I'm bleeding and you ask if I'm okay?"

Redpaw shrugged. "You're standing up so that has to be a good sign, right?"

"I'm fine," Dawnpaw huffed. "They're just scratches and aren't very deep I think. There's a lot of blood though."

Redpaw narrowed his eyes. "Didn't Sorreltail tell you to never take on a larger opponent without help?"

Dawnpaw curled her lip at the reminder. "He attacked Birdpaw first and I helped her. I thought she was right beside me but split as soon as he attacked me. That fox-hearted coward."

"Birdpaw?" Redpaw echoed, flattening his ears in surprise. "Our sister left you to be mangled by a ShadowClan warrior? That sounds believable."

Dawnpaw ignored his sarcastic tone. "I'm telling the truth," she glared at him. "She's all but disappeared."

"Why would she do that?" Redpaw inquired, flicking his tail back and forth.

Before Dawnpaw could begin to guess Russetfur's yowl split the cool air. Her warriors scrambled from the fight and back over the border, nearly tripping over one another to get away. The ShadowClan deputy spat at the crowd of ThunderClan warriors jeering after them before she raced away back into her own territory, carrying her own fair share of injuries.

After the battle came the reconciliation. Stormfur helped Brook off of the ground, her flanks heaved and patches of her fur was missing but other than that she looked perfectly fine. Cinderpaw licked at a scratch on Cloudtail's shoulder as he spoke with Sorreltail, Dustpelt, Mouseclaw, and Brackenfur. Whitewing was licking her paw while Bravepaw and Birdpaw sat together near the edge of the clearing with Berrytail, listening as he told them a recount of how the ShadowClan cats ambushed the patrol.

"Dawnpaw!" Squirrelflight exclaimed, popping into Dawnpaw's line of vision. Her mother swarmed her, fussing over the scratches on her chest. "Are you hurt?"

Dawnpaw wiggled out of Squirrelflight's grip, licking down the ruffled patches of fur on her chest. She wrinkled her nose at the dried blood from her scratches before looking at Squirrelflight. "I'm fine. It hardly hurts."

It was a lie, but Squirrelflight didn't have to know that. With every movement she made a trickle of pain rippled through her. Despite her protests, Squirrelflight continued to probe Dawnpaw until she was sure that no other scratches marred her body.

"Squirrelflight calm down, Dawnpaw's perfectly fine," Redpaw meowed, looking as if he were about to burst into laughter at Dawnpaw's misery. "Leafpool will look at her once we get back to camp."

"Mother, you're suffocating me!" Dawnpaw squeaked.

Squirrelflight pulled away, her eyes blazing. "I'm only doing this because I'm worried about you! This isn't the first time you've been hurt in battle."

Dawnpaw winced at the reminder of the battle in WindClan's territory so long ago where she had been attacked and knocked unconscious. It had been the first time she'd seen Cloudwhisker. She laid her tail on Squirrelflight's shoulders. "Trust me when I say that I'll be okay. These scratches are hardly life-threatening and aren't even very deep."

Squirrelflight sighed and she leaned forward to lick Dawnpaw's ear. "I know, Dawnpaw. I just don't want to lose you and you need to be more careful next time. It could have been worse."

Dawnpaw bit back the stinging retort of Birdpaw's cowardice and she only nodded to Squirrelflight's rebuke. She didn't want to bring attention to the situation, but that didn't mean she was going to forget it either. Redpaw caught Dawnpaw's gaze and she knew that he was thinking it over too.

Squirrelflight licked her ear again. "I'll take you back to camp to have Leafpool look you over. A patrol will monitor the rest of the border until we're sure that ShadowClan won't be coming back for some time."

"What about my hunting patrol?" Dawnpaw protested. She had hoped that she would be allowed to continue on the patrol. "Can't I stay with Sorreltail?"

"No," Squirrelflight meowed, effectively cutting off any more of Dawnpaw's suggestions. "We can't risk letting those scratches go untreated. They could become infected."

"But—" Squirrelflight pinned her with an intimidating glare. Dawnpaw allowed the subject to be dropped and she sighed. "Fine, I'll go back to camp."

"Good." Squirrelflight flicked her tail and she turned to Sorreltail. "I'm taking Dawnpaw back to camp to get her wounds checked by Leafpool. I'll tell Brambleclaw everything."

Sorreltail dipped her head in agreement. She looked a little unhappy that Dawnpaw had managed to get injured, but beckoned for Redpaw to join her. "Redpaw can join my hunting patrol then."

"See you later," Redpaw nodded to her before he joined Sorreltail and the rest of her patrol.

Stormfur led Brook over. "Brook and I will come with you. She's had enough for one day."

Dawnpaw tilted her head to one side in confusion. What was wrong with Brook? Her gaze drifted over the tabby she-cat. There was nothing obviously different about her, but she didn't protest as Stormfur curled his tail protectively over her shoulders.

Squirrelflight shared a skeptical glance with Dawnpaw, but she otherwise made no comment and instead turned on her tail and she padded from the clearing. Dawnpaw followed at her mother's flank while Brook and Stormfur took up the rear, murmuring soft things to one another that were too quiet for Dawnpaw to pick up.

Dawnpaw bounded forward to pad beside Squirrelflight's shoulder. "What's up with Stormfur and Brook? Why are they acting so weird?"

Squirrelflight purred in amusement as she glanced down at her. "Of course you'd be too young to figure out for yourself."

"Figure out what? What's going on?" Dawnpaw asked bewilderedly.

"Brook is going to have kits!" Squirrelflight told her. Dawnpaw looked up at her mother, surprised to hear the excited tone. She knew that Squirrelflight's father, Firestar, and Stormfur's father, Graystripe, had been best friends, but she hadn't realized that the two were so close. She cast a glance over her shoulder at Brook and suddenly noticed the slight plumpness of her belly.

"Why is she still doing patrols? Surely her kits could have been hurt today during the battle with ShadowClan?"

Squirrelflight shrugged as she rounded a protruding tree root. "I'm sure she wanted more time outside the nursery before Leafpool confined her there. Though, I'm assuming that Stormfur won't allow her to leave the camp too often after this."

"How long did you stay out of the nursery for?" Dawnpaw mewed curiously.

Squirrelflight snorted. "Brambleclaw _wanted_ me to join the nursery as soon as he found out, but I continued my warrior duties until I was a half-moon away from giving birth."

"And how long does Brook have until she has her kits?"

"At least a moon," Squirrelflight replied.

They fell into a comforting silence until they arrived at camp. Squirrelflight stayed by Dawnpaw's side as she slid into Leafpool's den while Stormfur and Brook split their separate ways, still exchanging adoring whispers.

Just before she slipped through the lichen curtain and into the heavy, herb-scented atmosphere, she glanced back over her shoulder at the two. Her heart ached at the reminder of her loss of Cloudwhisker. She was glad that they had talked it through and mended their troubles, but that still didn't solve the dilemma of his departure from StarClan.

_Where is he going anyway?_ Dawnpaw pondered the question for a moment before she stepped into the medicine cat's den and the perfumed air cleared her head. She had heard Honeypaw complaining about the smell after having gone to visit for thorns in her tail, but Dawnpaw actually liked it.

She had known the smell since birth and considering that Leafpool was Squirrelflight's sister, she had come to visit her nieces and nephews in the nursery often as well as watch them when Squirrelflight needed a break to go on a patrol. It was something that Dawnpaw had grown accustomed to.

"Dawnpaw, Squirrelflight," Leafpool poked her head out of her store as their scent drifted into the warm den. Her head disappeared from a heartbeat before it reappeared again as she maneuvered out of the tight crevice. The she-cat's amber eyes searched the length of their bodies, presumably looking for wounds. "Is everything alright?"

"Dawnpaw's got scratches on her chest," Squirrelflight told her. "I hope you weren't too busy."

Leafpool waved her tail, shifting forward to take a look at the marks that marred Dawnpaw's chest. Whatever blood that had clung to her chest had dried completely and the pain had faded to a dull ache. "Of course I wasn't," Leafpool mewed as Dawnpaw lifted her chin to allow her a closer inspection. "I was only going through my herbs to see which needed replenishing."

"Is it bad?" Squirrelflight asked, craning her neck to see the scratches, as if she could give a diagnosis any better than Leafpool could.

"Dawnpaw will be fine," Leafpool assured her sister, drawing away to retrieve herbs from her store. As she fit her slender body into the gap in the rock, Dawnpaw hoped that Leafpool wouldn't make her take a break. Sorreltail was already cross with her about not putting enough effort towards her training, and she didn't want to fall behind too.

Leafpool dropped a bundle of herbs at her paws after she had resurfaced. She also snagged a pawfull of moss and soaked it with water before she returned to Dawnpaw and began to clean the blood from her chest fur. Then she emptied several flower petals onto the ground and began to chew them into a thick poultice.

"That's marigold, right?" Dawnpaw asked, recognizing the skinny yellow petals.

Squirrelflight huffed, flicking her tail. "You come here too often, Dawnpaw."

"Yes," Leafpool confirmed her suspicions after she spat the pulp onto her paw pad. "This is going to sting."

Dawnpaw tensed as the medicine cat began to lather the marigold poultice onto her chest. Her scratches stung and prickled with an echo of pain and she relaxed as Leafpool withdrew her paw and moved to wash it in the pool positioned near the back wall of the den.

Leafpool returned and she gave a satisfied twitch of her tail. "The scratches weren't very bad, but don't overdo it during your training. Don't push yourself too hard or they might get worse."

Squirrelflight nodded to her sister. "Thanks Leafpool. Did you see Brambleclaw this morning?"

Leafpool nodded, rebinding the grass that held the bundle of marigold together. "I didn't see anything worrying. It's just a cough and it might go away on its own."

Scowling, Squirrelflight snorted. "Not if he keeps pretending that there isn't anything wrong with him.

Leafpool rested her tail over Squirrelflight's shoulders. "He's just proud and doesn't want to admit that he might have to put his duties on hold for a little bit. Besides, the cough could have just accumulated because of the stress he's been under for a while."

"What do you—" Squirrelflight began before she promptly recognized the sly expression on Leafpool's face and her mischievous eyes. Growling playfully, she cuffed her sister about the ear. "Oh shut up, he's worse than I am!"

Leafpool rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, Squirrelflight."

Watching the exchange between the two, she remembered why in fact she was in Leafpool's den in the first place. _I wish I was close to Birdpaw like that, _she thought, _I'm closer to Redpaw than I am with my only sister._

Dawnpaw turned her head to peer out of the den. Sorreltail's patrol had just returned and Dawnpaw spotted Redpaw dropping a squirrel onto the fresh-kill pile. Her gaze shifted to her mentor, who was currently padding toward Leafpool's den.

Glancing at the bickering sisters beside her, she stood and padded from the den. She met Sorreltail halfway and forced herself not to wince at the tension that crackled between herself and her mentor.

"How are you? Did you get hurt badly?" Sorreltail asked, her eyes shadowing in concern.

A small shimmer of hope burned in Dawnpaw's belly. Maybe Sorreltail wasn't too furious with her after all. "Leafpool patched me up. They're just scratches and Squirrelflight was being overprotective. I can train like normal."

Sorreltail twitched her tail. "Good, because the other mentors and I decided that we would have our first set of assessments for all of you apprentices besides Robinpaw."

Dawnpaw perked up and she felt a tingle of excitement send a rush of adrenaline down her legs to her paws. Eyes alight with anticipation, she nodded eagerly. "Thank you so much, Sorreltail!"

Sorreltail's whiskers twitched in amusement as Dawnpaw raced past her and she bolted across the clearing. She found Redpaw sitting with Honeypaw and Poppypaw and she hurtled toward them. Dawnpaw's eyes glinted mischievously as she launched herself into a massive leap. She twisted in midair and crashed into Redpaw, sending him flying as she dropped into a roll to smooth out her landing.

Redpaw yelped in surprise as he was thrown into the air and landed in a heap of dark ginger fur. Honeypaw squeaked as Dawnpaw appeared in front of her and Poppypaw's eyes were round with shock.

"Surprise attack!" Dawnpaw crowed as Redpaw picked himself off of the ground, muttering curses under his breath. Turning his head, he glowered at Dawnpaw as he groomed the sand out of his ruffled pelt.

"What in StarClan's name are you doing?" he growled.

"Yeah, Dawnpaw," Honeypaw added, her eyes beginning to show a shed of laughter from the events that had just transpired right before her eyes. "What's got you in such a good mood?"

"Our mentors are going to give us our first assessment!" Dawnpaw exclaimed. Redpaw's head snapped up, his tongue in mid-lick. Honeypaw squealed while Poppypaw leaped onto her paws and perked her ears. "Sorreltail's just told me!"

Poppypaw opened her mouth to say something but before she could get out any words Dawnpaw felt a shiver pass through her. Her vision failed as it fell to a completely different scene.

It started with the foggy mist of white. A moment later, it gave way to a visual of the camp clearing. Only, it was packed with the whole Clan as Firestar looked down at them, looking healthier than what could be said of him in the present.

It was some ceremony and Dawnpaw spotted Snowkit sitting at the very front, turned toward the maze of his Clanmates with Dustpelt sitting at his flank. Snowkit's chest was puffed out and his eyes shown with excitement and pride.

Then it changed.

Snow_paw_ was padding through the forest, trailing behind Dustpelt as they made up a fraction of their hunting patrol. Sorreltail trotted with Spiderleg at the front of the patrol as Dawnpaw padded alongside Snowpaw, the gray and white tom nearly as large as she was.

As they trekked along, Dawnpaw saw Snowpaw striking up conversation with her future self the majority of the time. It was only when they were near the ShadowClan border did they separate and Dawnpaw watched herself pad off with Dustpelt and Snowpaw.

Suddenly she was analyzing Snowpaw's hunt. He was stalking a magpie that was hopping around the roots of a slender willow. Just as he wiggled his hindquarters and leaped a number of bushes shook. Snowpaw's teeth met their mark, but a badger lumbered out of the ferns. The gray and white tom suddenly dropped the bird and he whirled around.

Snowpaw's fur bristled and his hackles rose as he spat the menacing creature. Dustpelt burst from his hiding spot and he bared his teeth at the badger.

The badger snarled at them as he scurried toward Snowpaw, lunging at the smaller cat. Dustpelt went rigid as he watched his apprentice become the badger's next victim. Snowpaw's eyes were wide in terror as his jaw gapped open in a silent wail. The badger raised a paw and the apprentice screwed his eyes tightly shut as he molded his body to ground, preparing for the fatal blow…

And it never came. Dawnpaw flung herself at Snowpaw, shoving him aside. Snowpaw gasped as he rolled onto his side, but he quickly jumped up. "Dawnpaw, no!"

The badger's heavy paw struck Dawnpaw on her neck above her shoulders and her body crumpled to the ground. Her eyes were glazed over and dull. As her neck lay twisted at an awkward angle, her limbs fell still and lifeless. A short stream of blood leaked from her opened mouth and onto the grass, staining the ground with her final drop of life.

With a gasp of horror, Dawnpaw came back to her denmates. She stood frozen as her mind digested what she had just seen. _Did I just die?_

**Well, this is a later update than I hoped, but I wrote more than usual so I'm happy with it. How'd you guys like that almost-cliffhanger? Plus, Brook's pregnant! I'll be happy to accept suggestions for the kits' names. I'm thinking about there being two of them. Thanks and you can give any suggestions through a review or just PM me. :)**


	8. Chapter 7

**Ugh. I'm sorry this took so long to come out. Writer's block is a bitch. Anyway, I've had some names for Brook's kits from several reviews. The list is at the bottom and I've added a description to each kit, too. I'll still take some more suggestions, so don't forget to review! ;)**

* * *

**Dawnpaw's POV**

Her legs remained locked in the sitting position she had been in before the vision had come over her. She still couldn't shake the image of her lifeless, broken body lying on the grassy earth. She had just seen herself _die_ saving Snowkit from a badger! She shuddered and blinked, realizing for the first time that that the handful of her denmates sitting around her were now staring at her with muted shock.

Drawing in a breath that she had been stalling, Dawnpaw began to form coherent thoughts. Doing her best to form a queasy yet apologetic expression, she flicked her tail. "Sorry, just a bellyache. It must been something I ate this morning."

Honeypaw and Poppypaw spared her any more of their inquiring looks while Redpaw remained suspicious, hardly buying her poorly fabricated story. He knew her too well to know that a bellyache had caused her to freeze up and shut everyone else out.

Dawnpaw glanced at the two she-cats, pleased to find that they had found interest in each other. She stood on her paws and padded toward the nursery, beckoning for her brother to join her.

Brook was speaking with the queens, distracting the three of them from noticing as Dawnpaw and Redpaw slipped behind the nursery where the walls were too thick for any cat to hear them from inside the den.

As soon as they were away from any prying eyes, Redpaw turned determined eyes on Dawnpaw. "What was that back there? What happened?"

Dawnpaw sighed in resignation, not sure if she was ready for his questions to be hurled in her direction, especially when she had her own questions to be answered. "I had a vision."

"A vision?" Redpaw repeated, his eyes narrowing shrewdly. "I thought all of your visions happened when you're dreaming?"

Dawnpaw shrugged. "I'm not sure. It happened earlier, too. I saw the patrol being ambushed by ShadowClan before it happened and I convinced Sorreltail to go in that direction. Maybe the visions are getting stronger."

"Did you react the same way earlier, too?" he interrogated.

Dawnpaw's eyes frosted over, displeased that he had begun to catch on. She didn't feel up to discuss her death with any cat yet, but she figured that Redpaw wouldn't let it go until she told him. With a shake of her head, she mewed, "I saw Snowkit becoming an apprentice and then I was on a patrol with him. A hunting patrol."

"So?" Redpaw interrupted with a twitch of his ear. "How did any of this make you react the way you did?"

Dawnpaw sent him a withering look. "If you would let me _finish_. I was about to tell you that a badger came across us and was about to kill Snow_paw_ before I pushed him out of the way and I—"

"You died," Redpaw finished for her with a soft murmur. His eyes were now round and sympathetic. "Dawnpaw, I'm sorry that you had to see that."

Dawnpaw sniffed and her eyes misted over as she lifted her face to look at Redpaw. "The thing is, none of my visions so far have proven to be wrong. In that matter of a pawful of moons I could be dead."

Redpaw growled. "You _aren't_ going to die, Dawnpaw. You can't let yourself go on and believe it or otherwise it will happen. You said that Snowkit was an apprentice already so we have plenty of time to prepare ourselves for what you just saw. Try not to go on any hunting patrols with Snowkit in the future, okay?"

No, it isn't okay!" Dawnpaw insisted miserably. "I saved Snowkit from the badger. If I'm not there then Snowkit will die. I can't let him die knowing that I could have done something to help."

"You can't die, Dawnpaw!" Redpaw hissed. "You're important to StarClan and you have to be there to defeat the Dark Forest and to help find the third cat in the prophecy."

Dawnpaw was stuck. She didn't want to die and let her powers go to waste, but she couldn't just lie around while Snowkit lost his life without having been given the chance to live it to the fullest. When the time came, Dawnpaw knew that she would be forced into action, not wanting the apprentice's blood on her paws.

"Please, Redpaw. Just let it go," Dawnpaw sighed, her tail drooping as she looked at her brother with her plead shimmering in her eyes. Redpaw flattened his ears at the request but he didn't continue to berate her. "We'll deal with it when the time comes. Just know that I won't abandon Snowkit."

Redpaw fixed her with an icy glare. "If that's all then I think I'm going to fetch something to eat."

"Redpaw, wait," Dawnpaw stopped him, having just thought of something. Her brother halted and twitched his tail impatiently. "If my visions are getting stronger, then that leads me to believe that your power will too. Just be careful if you get the same urge that you have received in the past. It would be dangerous if any cat found out about everything. Especially Cinderpaw; she already suspects that something is wrong."

"Okay," Redpaw nodded before he slid back into the clearing.

Dawnpaw sighed and she made her way around the nursery, stopping just beside the entrance. Her gaze scanned the clearing until they halted on the cluster of kits as they scrambled back to their mothers from the elders' den. She sought out the biggest of the kits, Snowkit, and watched as he bolted swiftly over the sandy ground, spraying up a haze of dirt while he raced the younger kits back to the nursery.

His long legs fell into a skid as he neared the queens and halted just before he collided with Ferncloud. The gray she-cat didn't seem to mind, however, and her whiskers twitched amusedly as Tansykit, Cloverkit, and Hailkit launched into a retelling of the story Longtail had told them. Of course, Mousefur was still too weak from her mending illness to interact with the kits, even if she didn't want to admit it.

Suddenly Snowkit turned his head as if he felt her eyes on him and his face lit up as he spotted her. After a moment, his head turned away as he refocused on whatever Tansykit was mewing about.

Dawnpaw felt the dread swimming in the pit of her stomach as she pictured the limp, broken body of the gray and white tom, his blue eyes glazed over lifelessly. It was the alternative of the horror she'd witnessed in her dream and she still had no idea what she was going to do when the time came. _Save him or allow him to die to preserve my powers?_

Her time was limited and she knew it was only a matter of time before Firestar was fully recovered and gave Snowkit his mentor and he became an apprentice, seeing as he was already at the six moons mark.

Once Ferncloud had shooed the kits away with a wave of her tail, Dawnpaw's gaze remained fixed on the four kits as they played with several fallen leaves scattered over the ground. Snowkit churned the leaves up with his fluffy tail, sending them into a flutter as they drifted in the air while the younger kits screeched and squealed as they tried to leap up and catch them. Snowkit looked on and Dawnpaw twitched her whiskers as she spotted the amusement that glittered in his eyes.

_He looks older than a kit should, _Dawnpaw noted, seeing as Snowkit towered over the other kits, even if he was a few moons older than them. Soon he would be able to rival Dawnpaw herself and he was already larger than Robinpaw.

Brightheart's three kits suddenly abandoned their game of leaf catching and they turned their gazes to Snowkit, leaping as one at the larger kit. Dawnpaw purred, watching as Snowkit writhed under them, having been taken off guard by the sudden attack. His fur was puffed out and the kits clung to it with their claws.

"Kits!" Brightheart called from the entrance of the nursery, causing Dawnpaw to jump in surprise and remember her place. Straightening, she glanced at the ginger and white she-cat's head as it poked out of the den. "Feeding time!"

At that the kits immediately abandoned their victim and scrambled across the short stretch of ground. Brightheart's head disappeared into the brambles as her kits raced inside. Snowkit hauled himself off of the ground and shook out his long fur, licking down the patches that had mingled with the sand covering the clearing.

Dawnpaw's belly rumbled and she yanked her gaze away from Snowkit to look down out her stomach, realizing that she hadn't eaten after returning to camp. The battle with ShadowClan seemed moons away now after her vision.

Sighing, Dawnpaw padded from the clearing toward the fresh-kill pile. As she was nosing through the offerings, she firmly told herself that when the time came, she _would_ save Snowkit from the fox, even if it did cost Dawnpaw her life.

* * *

_Sundapple overlooked the camp from her perch on one of the upper branches of an old oak at the top of the ravine. Through the canopy of leaves she spotted Duskstar speaking with several of the senior warriors, including Runningbreeze. Her round green eyes narrowed her eyes and her ears flattened as she remembered the glazed dark blue eyes that had stared up at her as she bent over her best friend's limp body._

_It had taken days to get rid of the blood on her paws and each one of them was torture. She barely left her nest unless she was hungry and had to go to the dirtplace. Even now, she only left the camp by herself. She'd rather not put any other cat in trouble because she couldn't defend herself._

"_I'm so sorry," Sundapple breathed while her eyes stung and her heart weighed heavily in her chest._

"_Sundapple?"_

_She jumped in surprise at the voice, nearly falling from her branch and through the air down the long stretch to the ground. Her heart rate increased as she peered down at the ground and found Mistymoon's brother staring up at her, his gray and white pelt stark against the green of the forest._

_Sundapple breathed in deeply to calm her nervous heart and she descended the trunk until she landed safely on the grass beside Cloudwhisker. "What is it?"_

"_Goldenlily wanted me to check on you," Cloudwhisker told her, his eyes shimmering with concern. "You were up there for a while."_

_Sundapple twitched an ear. "And you were watching me the whole time?"_

_Cloudwhisker winced. "Guilty. I was just making sure you were alright. It would be a waste of Mistymoon's life if you were attacked by that fox again."_

_Sundapple dropped her gaze and she glowered at her paws. "That's just it. She shouldn't have given her life to save me. I should have been able to handle myself just fine. I'm a horrible warrior. I caused Mistymoon's death. I led the fox right to her!"_

_Cloudwhisker took a step forward and he laid his tail across her shoulders. "Hey, calm down. You were her best friend. She would have sacrificed herself for you in a heartbeat. Just like you would have for her. She died a hero."_

_Sundapple saw the logic in his words, but that did little to ease the aching of her heart. Instead, she looked up into his dark blue eyes that reminded her so much of Mistymoon's that it hurt. "What about you? Don't you hate me for killing your sister?"_

_Cloudwhisker snorted. "You're too stubborn. I thought I just told you that you _didn't _kill Mistymoon?"_

_Narrowing her eyes, she glared up at him. "You know it's my fault. How can you be so impassive about this? Your sister just died for StarClan's sake! You can't possibly be so positive about her death."_

_Cloudwhisker growled and Sundapple flinched away from him as he loomed angrily over him and his eyes flashed furiously. "Don't make the mistake of assuming that I don't miss my sister, Sundapple. Of course I miss her! The only reason why I learned to move on was because I knew that you were still here, safe, and Mistymoon died the noblest of deaths. If she hadn't had distracted the fox then it would have killed you and I—"_

"_What?" Sundapple whispered as he shook his head and mumbled something to himself too softly for her to hear. "So? So what if I had died? It isn't like I was anything important to ThunderClan. Thrushclaw lost his mate…you lost your sister…"_

_Cloudwhisker sighed and the tip of his tail twitched. He looked up to the sky for a moment before dropping his gaze down to her face, staring so intently into her eyes that her paws felt anchored to the ground. She couldn't move, even if she wanted to._

"_Sundapple, I love you," Cloudwhisker confessed, shifting anxiously from one paw to another._

_Sundapple nearly forgot to breathe as her heart skipped a beat. A fiery heat burned in her chest and stretched up her neck to her cheeks. Her mouth gaped wide open and a lump formed in her throat as her tongue slurred, "You…You love me?"_

_Cloudwhisker's ears fell flat against his skull as he looked away, looking embarrassed. "I knew you wouldn't feel the same way."_

"_No, I…" Sundapple paused. She wasn't sure how she felt about this. She was still in shock, but had recognized the warmth that had rushed through her when he had called up to her from the ground while she lounged on the branch far above his head. After he had saved her from the river when she was an apprentice, she also briefly remembered that she had fallen hard for him, moving on after a moon of hopeful glances and flutters in her stomach while he was around. Mistymoon, of course, had had no idea of this, but she often encouraged the idea of them together, only to be shot down with a disbelieving snort._

_Finally, she cleared her throat and came out of her musings. Cloudwhisker's gaze remained on his paws as he refused to spare her a single glance. Sundapple purred. "I love you, too."_

_As fast as the river in greenleaf, Cloudwhisker's gaze snapped up to her face, his eyes suddenly sparkling with a shimmer of hope. "Really?"_

_Fighting the giddy rush of adrenaline pouring into her limbs, Sundapple nodded. With a playful growl, Cloudwhisker stretched his neck forward and leaned down to press his muzzle to hers. Sundapple purred and she ducked under her chin, pressing her face into the long, soft fur that streamed down his chest._

Dawnpaw gasped as she surfaced from the dream, surprised to feel a remnant of the feelings Sundapple had experienced during her confession to Cloudwhisker. However, she was unsure whether if it was actually Sundapple's love for him or her own.

Sighing, she settled comfortably back into her nest and glanced around at her slumbering denmates. Birdpaw and Honeypaw were missing, but by the looks of the dull light filling the clearing dawn was upon the camp and the two were probably on the dawn patrol.

_No use getting back to sleep. _Dawnpaw yawned as she rose after a moment's hesitation. Her nest was warm and the leaf-bare weather was starting to set in. So with a sigh she shook scraps of moss from her haunches and slid out of the den.

The light in the clearing was dim, but Dawnpaw made out Squirrelflight's dark ginger pelt keeping watch over the camp from her position at the bramble tunnel. Her mother waved her tail in greeting from across the clearing and Dawnpaw twitched her ears in return.

Movement caught her eyes and she turned her head to see Firestar emerging from his den, thin from his sickness but looking as strong as he'd always been. Leafpool and Sandstorm moved from the shadows to stand beside him and Dawnpaw suddenly felt a pang of realization as the idea of Snowkit receiving his apprentice name soon became suddenly more real. With Firestar recovering swiftly he'd be hunting with Dustpelt in no time.

Remembering her vision, Dawnpaw gasped at the familiarity of the situation to Mistymoon's death seasons ago. Only, Dawnpaw was the cat doing the saving, unlike Sundapple who had to be saved. That, and the fact that it had been a fox from her dreams while her vision portrayed a lumbering badger.

Dawnpaw straightened and she sniffed as Cloudwhisker's words to Sundapple drifted through her mind. "I don't have to be a cat's best friend to sacrifice myself for them. Every life is worth saving," she grumbled under her breath before trudging to the fresh-kill pile for her breakfast.

* * *

**There's another Sundapple dream I promised a little while ago! Plus, Snowkit's apprentice ceremony is nearing and Dawnpaw is getting anxious about her vision coming true. Redpaw doesn't want her to sacrifice herself, but then she'd have to let Snowkit die. Which one is worse?**

**Okay, so here is the list of names I've gotten for Brook's kits. For the next chapters leading to the kits' birth, I'll delete one or two from the list to show you where I stand in the naming of the kits. I'm still sold on the idea of two kits, just to let you know.**

**Brook's kits:**

**Pinekit-brown tabby tom with amber eyes**

**Lightningkit-broad-shoulder dark brown tabby with gray eyes**

**Thornkit-long-haired silver tom with amber eyes**

**Duskkit-large gray tabby tom with blue eyes**

**Thistlekit-long-haired brown tom**

**Stonekit-sleek dark gray tom with a striped tail**

**Volekit-large dark gray tom with amber eyes**

**Juniperkit-long-haired silver she-cat with gray eyes**

**Hollykit-solid gray she-cat with amber eyes**

**Featherkit-slender dark gray tabby she-cat with amber eyes**


End file.
